However, sufficient information has been obtained to enable the following conclusions to be arrived at:ġ The hard and angular nature of the sight in the position it occupies constitutes a danger of facial injury to the pilot in the case of a forced landing.Ģ The amount of eye freedom is very limited. Also, the restriction that the sight should not be used where the possibility exists that it might fall into enemy hands has been a drawback. The initiative and interest shown in these trials has been far from satisfactory, owing to the following reasons: the difficulty of carrying out Service trials of gunsights under operational conditions, and the reluctance of pilots to use experimental sights in a life-and-death situation. After six weeks the AOC Fighter Command, Sir Sholto Douglas, took his eagerly awaited report (dated September 1941) to Whitehall. It was found a little difficult to locate the target in the small eyepiece, and the circles wandered during a high 'g' turn, but the correct deflection angle was presented.įeranti (Edinburgh) began low-rate production in April 1941, and Spitfire and Hurricane fighters from operational squadrons tested the sights in interceptions of German raids during July and August. As they turned into the attack on the stooge aircraft, two circles were seen in the eyepiece, the one lagging behind being the aiming point, the leading circle being the direction in which the guns were pointing. The experienced trials pilots reported an almost magical performance. The sight was rather bulky, and difficult to fit into the turret of the Defiant. In early 1941 Farnborough produced the first pre-production batch of Mk I gyro sights and a Spitfire and Defiant were flown into the airfield to be fitted. Intelligence summaries of combat reports quoted pilots who could not understand why their fire seemed to have no effect, even when a long burst was fired from an ideal position.
Meanwhile, the Air Staff's fears about inaccurate shooting had been borne-out.
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It is the considered opinion of the Gunnery Research Unit that the true value of the sight cannot be proved without operational trials, and before full production is authorised we respectfully advise that a number of Squadrons should be equipped to enable the pilots, after all the advice that can be given by them, to find for themselves to what extent it aids them in actual combat. But the Director of the Gunnery Research Unit advised: As soon as the Air Staff heard that the design had been completed they made arrangements to rush it into production, the prime contractors being Ferranti and Elliot Bros.
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