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Old July 16th 03, 04:25 AM
Guy Alcala
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ArtKramr wrote:

Subject: US (Brit/Japanese/German/USSR) Use of Gun Cameras in Fighters??
From: Stephen Harding
Date: 7/15/03 6:21 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

ArtKramr wrote:

They were called GSAP cameras for Gun Sight Aiming Point. And all our

fighters
had them. They took 16mm film in magazines.


Do you know how the GSAP cameras actually worked?


Simple. When the guns were fired the cameras rolled.

I believe I've seen sequences where the film is clearly still running
after the shooting has stopped, so I'm thinking pulling the trigger
started the film rolling, and then it would run a few secs after the
trigger was released.


Possiber. I guess there might have been more inertia in the film transport than
in the firing mechanism of the guns


snip

No, it was a design feature; the camera was intended to overrun for a few seconds
after the trigger was released, allowing for time of flight and high deflection
shots, and subsequent damage assessment. At least some of them had a lever in the
focal path that appeared in one of the upper(?) corners of the film frame, which
showed when the guns were actually firing. Can't remember if it just dropped into
place and stayed there while the trigger was pressed, or if it oscillated in and
out of the frame. You needed to know when the guns were actually firing (or to be
more precise, when the pilot had the trigger depressed) to assess the pilot's
gunnery technique (firing range, lead etc).

Guy