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This is a collection of high-quality scans of 21 different manuals on the Link Trainer in PDF format on one DVD-ROM disc, including two hard-to-find manuals on the Link Celestial Navigator trainer.
Free shipping for CONUS. More for foreign. Direct download is available. After purchase, send me a note requesting download. For foreign, I will refund shipping charges.
As I have edited every page of every manual to remove blemishes and scanning problems, the images in these files differ from the original manuals. My changes are all copyright 2004-2020. Permission is given for personal, educational, and research use only.
The Link Trainer was a device, conceived in the late 30's, for training novice pilots in instrument flying, made by Arthur Link Aviation Company. The U.S. had a serious problem at the beginning of WWII - turning hundreds of thousands of ordinary recruits, often farm hands with limited education or experience, into skilled pilots in a very short period of time. The Link Trainer proved invaluable, since mistakes in flying by instruments are almost inevitably fatal. These devices probably prevented huge numbers of training accidents. This was probably the first full-scale flight simulator ever made. It used electric motors to push the plywood cockpit around in something like the way an aircraft in response to the pilot's control. An elaborate servo system, powered by vacuum-tube amplifiers, took the control settings and turned them into control voltages to the positioning motors. A companion metal desk, full of electronics, allowed the teacher to change the simulated external conditions (e.g. wind speed and direction). This device was the forerunner of ALL modern flight simulators - including the ones used to train commercial aviation pilots, AND to train the astronauts for the Space Shuttle.It is a remarkable device, especially considering when it was designed and built by the Link Aviation Company. It is thought that more than 10,000 of these devices were built.
This collection includes 2 manuals of the Link Celestial Navigation silo. This was an even more elaborate device. It was huge. It featured a complete flight cabinet including a pilots' station and a navigators' station with desk. The entire cockpit was movable and could be made to shake and rock as if flying in rough air. An enormous dome overhead had lights in changeable locations to simulate stars in the sky. Perhaps 100 of these were built. Sadly, none of them exist today. These manuals and a few photos are all we have left of them.
Scans were made at 400 lpi. There is a full-text index of all these manuals so one can do a text search across all these manuals.
Manuals include the following:
Operation, Service and Overhaul Instructions with Parts Catalog for Altimeter Indicator Link Trainer TO 28-5-24 1945, 80p. Detailed internal details of one of the panel instruments used to simulate flight.
Handbook of Instructions with Parts Catalog Artificial Horizon Indicator - Link - AN 28-5-4 1944, 20p. Another panel instrument.
Handbook of Instructions with Parts Catalog for Autosyn Type 2300-2-A AN 28-5-19 1944, 20p. Panel Instrument.
Handbook of Instructions with Parts Catalog Cross Pointer Indicators Model 635 Types 11 56 and 57P AN 28-5-16 1944, 40p, Panel instrument.
Handbook of Operation and Service Instructions - Celestial Navigation Trainer AN-2554-1 Type D-1, 5 January 1945, AN 28-5B-1, 300p. THIS IS THE BIG HARD-TO-FIND CELESTIAL NAVIGATION BOOK WITH DOZENS OF CLOSE-UP PHOTOS AND DRAWINGS OF THE CONSTRUCTION.
Handbook of Overhaul Instructions - Celestial Navigation Trainer AN-2554-1 AN 28-5B-2 1944, 170p.THIS IS THE OTHER HARD-TO-FIND CELESTIAL NAVIGATION BOOK WITH DOZENS OF CLOSE-UP PHOTOS AND DRAWINGS OF THE CONSTRUCTION.
Illustrated Parts Catalog for Link Instrument Flying Trainers - 1943, printed by Link Instruments, Inc., over 390 pages. This is the factory manual with exploded detail of ever part of the device. All parts are shown, labeled, and identified.
Indicators Model 602 AN 28-5-21 1944, 30p. Panel instruments.
Inspection and Maintenance Guide for Instrument Flying Trainers Type C-3 and AN 2550-1 AN-T-18 TO 28-5A-24 1946, 30p. This manual outlines a procedure for routine periodic inspection and scheduled maintenance.
Installation of Shielded Cable in Radio Chassis AN-2550-1 AN-T-18 Instrument Flying Trainer TO 28-5A-17 1946, 16p. Three short maintenance notes.
Handbook of Instructions Instrument Flying Trainer AN-2550-1 AN-T-1 1943 171p - This manual was produced by the manufacturer. It have many full-color illustrations of all parts of the system.
Instrument Flying - Ground Trainer - T.O. 30-100C-1 110p - This was produced by the nascent U.S. Air Force command as one of a series of pilot training manuals.
Instrument Flying Trainer Operation Inspection and Maintenance Record TO 00-25-16 1943 10p - Part of the wonderful 40's-vintage military burocracy. This short manual talks about how to document your inspection of the trainer.
Link Instrument and Radio Trainer Type E Handbook 1941 188p - This is a very early handbook from the manufacturer. It has the typewritten-mimeographed look of something made by hand during this era. It has a lot of information not present in any other manual.
Link Trainer Operation and Training TM 1-445 1949 131p - This manual was issued from the War Department under direction of the Chief of the Air Corps. This came out during the transition from the Army Air Forces to a proper Air Force as a separate service. This manual is more for instructors than students. It shows a number of training methods with various routes and manuvers the student should master.
Maintenance of Instrument Flying Trainer-Ground (LINK) 298p - This is another hastily prepared mimeographed manual from the manufacturer. This notwithstanding, it is one of the most complete manuals detailing all the major parts in the system. It gives you an idea of the remarkable complexity of these devices. In some ways, they were considerably more complicated than the aircraft they simulated.
Miniature Radio Range Trainer Type M-1 AN 28-5-1 1944, 60p. Another simulated device for teaching the use of radio ranging equipment.
Operation and Service Instrument Flying Trainers TO No. 08-25-1 1943 126p - These two manuals are general instruction manuals for teachers. They have an overview of the hardware followed by elaborate instructions on the control of the device from the trainer's point of view.
Operation and Service Instrument Flying Trainers TO No. 08-25-1 1944
Link Instrument Training Instructor's School 283p - This one is even more preliminary - it looks to be straight off the typewriter. The page count is deceptive, since most of the back sides are blank. The print quality was quite poor - I cleaned it up the best I could, but it is still not great.
Standard Beam Approach Indicator - Flight Path - Type NO 1 AN 28-5-5 1944, 22p. Another panel instrument for glide path instruction.
Terrain Projector Pilotage Trainer Type T-1 TO 28-5-18 1945, 70p. This is another remarkable system for training where aerial-view films and images were projected on the wall in large format for training in visual location and navigation.THIS IS ANOTHER HARD-TO-FIND MANUAL.
These next three manuals were issued in 1961 (!) - these would have to be among the last manuals ever written for this device. This must be around the time that the last of these devices was made, as the world shifted from tube to transistors over the course of the 60's. All the electronics for the Link Trainer would be obsolete by the end of the decade. Given that the device was designed in the 30's, this is a most remarkable tenure, especially considering that it was unique - there was no other mass-produced flight simulator.
Operator's Manual Basic Instrument Trainer 45 Device 1-CA-1 TM 55-6930-200-10 1961Parts and Special Tools List US Army Device 1-CA-1 Trainer, Instrument, Basic TM 55-6930-200-35P 1961U.S. Army Device 1-CA-1 Trainer Instrument Basic TM 55-6930-200-20 1961
There were several private-sector 3rd-party manuals on the operation of the devices. Here are two of them, both of British origin. There is more material in these volumes that is not present in any of the government or manufacturers' manuals.
Harben Course on the Link Trainer 1939Molloy - V08 - The Link Trainer
