Airship Engineer's Slide Rule

Slip Sticks for the Black gang!

Previously I posted about Nomography, i.e. the use of graphical tools for solving equations.

I have found a perfect example in the Internet Archives!
This article AN AIRSHIP SLIDE RULE By E. R. Weaver and S. F. Pickering, details the calculations and construction of a slide rule for working out problems concerning buoyancy, volumes, temperatures, lifting capability, and altitudes. Specifically for Airship crews this simple device is perfect for the analysis that any Flight Engineer would need to do as part of his duties.

The pamphlet contains the mathematical derivations for the scales and lots of sample problems that can be worked out using the slide rule.

Here is a picture of the slide rule:

And here is a page with some examples of the kinds of problems that could be worked out:

A very useful tool indeed.

Since this pamphlet includes the formulas for how the scales used on the slide rule are laid out, it should be possible to build one!

I think my Flight Engineer needs one, but adjusted for Steam as the lifting gas.

Keep your sightglass full, your firebox trimmed and your water iced.
KJ