1943 WW2 Air Ministry RAF Lancaster MkII Drift Recorder (Ref 6B/256)

1943 WW2 Air Ministry RAF Lancaster MkII Drift Recorder (Ref 6B/256)

Air Ministry Issue | 1943 | Ref: 6B/256

Own a genuine piece of Royal Air Force history — an original **RAF Drift Recorder**, as used in the legendary Avro Lancaster heavy bombers during World War II.

**Date of Manufacture:** 1943

**Reference Number:** 6B/256

**Condition: Excellent for age – intact optics and rotating bezel; mechanisms untested but visually complete

**Used for:** Purpose-built mechanical calculation machine for determining the drift of aircraft when operating in crosswind conditions. This device has an eyepiece and a prismatic periscope for viewing a distant feature being tracked. This device has calibrated rotary scales for height and speed (in KNOTS and MPH) and an adjustment to preset the 'crab angle' of the aircraft for crosswindcompensation.

"Crosswinds brought into the bombing problem a new factor, 'drift'." In order to fly a given ground track in a crosswind, an aircraft had to "crab" into the wind; the angle formed between the aircraft's true heading and its ground track was called the "drift angle". In a crosswind, the bomb would impact directly behind the aircraft and along its longitudinal axis at the moment of release. But this meant that the bomb would strike the ground at some point downwind of the aircraft's ground track. Thus, in order to score a hit, the bomber had to fly a ground track that ran upwind of the target."


**Aircraft:** Commonly mounted in RAF bombers, including the iconic Lancaster.

Whether you're a serious militaria collector, RAF historian, or vintage aviation enthusiast, this is rarely seen on the open market.

Carefully stored, ready for display or restoration.