was a trial by fire of their overwater navigation skills, and a worthwhile training exercise in itself. When flying above a cloud ceiling, the navigator peered down through gaps in the overcast and caught glimpses of the wrinkled blue seascape. Now and again he might see a coral reef, or a tendril of sand, and he tried to match those features to the chart on his desk. At night, the navigator tracked his aircraft’s position by taking star sightings with a sextant, like an ancient mariner. Mostly he relied on dead reckoning, keeping meticulous track of airspeed and compass heading, adding
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