![]() The date in this particular case, however, was not that straightforward. As an experienced navigator, he understood the implications of using the wrong date, but for the most part in his celestial navigation experience, flights had been conducted over the course of one day, and, if the flights were overnight, it was relatively straightforward - his navigation tables were arranged such that the date progressed forward as the flight progressed. It could make the difference between finding your destination and never making it there.Įven though a date error can have the same effect on navigation as a chronometer error, it might not have been as much of a practical consideration for Noonan. ![]() When you consider the implications of being off by just one minute – which accounts for 15 nautical miles of location error - you can understand why setting the clocks was a priority. ![]() In fact, if you read Elgen Long’s accounts of the World Flight, he was obsessed with making sure his chronometer was set accurately (1). ![]() He was one of the best navigators in the world at the time - and he was definitely aware of the need for an exact and precise syncing of his chronometer to the local time in Greenwich, England. Fred Noonan was well versed in the factors that date and time played in celestial navigation.
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