Hamilton's own Armoured Car

[Mike Cecil]

RYPA = Rolling Yawing Pitching Assembly. In simple terms, a 'turret trainer' for vehicle turret crews that simulates the movement of the vehicle cross country while they shoot at targets. Not part of the vehicle is represents. Can be either static (usual method) or on a short track. Target can be either static or mobile on a short track.

Mike C

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

RYPA = Rolling Yawing Pitching Assembly. In simple terms, a 'turret trainer' for vehicle turret crews that simulates the movement of the vehicle cross country while they shoot at targets. Not part of the vehicle is represents. Can be either static (usual method) or on a short track. Target can be either static or mobile on a short track.

Mike C

Correct. In early WWII when the need to identify and train large numbers of aircrew became apparent, a number of training devices emerged. One was the Link Trainer that had a little compartment that rolled, pitched, yawed and azimuthed (?) to the enclosed pilot's commands.

My father once wanted to build one using plans from a late 1940's Popular Science magazine. ("Hey kids! Want to have fun and learn a new career? ...) The idea was two frames connected by an automobile transmission universal fitting of some sort and controlled by a joystick and pedals. It never got built, and I think some of the parts are still in his garage.

During wartime any industry with precision machine tools was given contracts to the limit of their complexity. Turnbull Elevators would therefore have been able to make high tolerance but small production run parts.

@Jordan - this looks like a pamphlet or publication to capture those primary documents. Never mind if the story is thin, sometimes that is all you will get.

[Jordan Baker]

I started scanning the minutes of the Hamilton Auxiliary Defense force last night. I'll post up the relevant ones once I get them done. Briefly it does mention the truck was sent to Camp Borden for testing in August of 1940. The other interesting item in the minutes was that a scale model had been made and was sent to Ottawa along with some documents on it. I wonder what ever happened to them? Would it be stored away in he archives or war museum?

Interesting about what the Rypa was. Makes perfect sense that an elevator company would be contracted for making something like that. The elevator control boxes they where making then wouldn't have been all the different.

[charlie fitton]

I agree....Jordan does have the makings of a booklet/ book here...

[servicepub (RIP)]

Originally Posted by charlie fitton

I agree....Jordan does have the makings of a booklet/ book here...

Hmmm... I took a loss in publishing the 1935 Armoured Car in Cdn Svce and there were TWO of those. I wonder if I would double my loss by publishing a book on a single vehicle?

C

[Michael R.]

A stable shooting platform? At least the Thompson would be more flexible than the aircraft Vickers of a few years earlier shown here training at Camp Borden ranges, Ontario, Canada. Not to get off topic ...

Commenting on the Thompson gun at $353.00 each, as compared with the shotgun at $8.32 each.

[Jordan Baker]

Michael. Your picture makes me wonder if the "rypa" wasn't a training device but was more for a gun platform in the turret. I had been told by the lady at special collections for the library that the turret or part of it had to be ordered from a company in Toronto. When looking at the pictures that small turret appears to be a different construction then the rest of the vehicle.

I'm just tossing ideas out to everyone here trying to figure this vehicle out.