Technicolor Pilot Balloon Theodolite
This theodolite was made in 1943 by Technicolor Motion Picture Corp, Hollywood California, for the United States Navy. Marked Type Aero-1930-USN, it has the Navy stamp with an anchor stamped on the gun site. It very loosely resembles the David White 6061 but is very different in design. The eyepiece uses an etched glass reticule, rather than the crossed spider webs used in the David White unit. The tangent screws engage with a different mechanism and are located in reverse of the 6061. Further the elevation vernier is located on the right side of the circle rather than the left. Most striking is the use of a pentagonal prism rather than the three sided type used in David White and Warren-Knight units. This prism is different than the optional erecting prism that is available from Warren Knight as well.
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Note in the photo above the larger size of the prism housing on the technicolor theodolite compared to the David White prism on the left. The photo lower left shows the tangent screw engagement lever for on the technicolor theodolite.
| Drive Type | Positively Engaging Tangent Screw | Compass | No |
| Display Type | Micrometer .1 degree | Levels | 2 plate, bubble tube |
| Main Telescope | 42 mm 21x 2deg. | Mounting | 4 screw leveling head, 3.5"x8tpi |
| Finder
Telescope |
No | Illumination | Not present but may have been an option |
| Gun Site | Yes 1, 2 way foldable pair, main telescope | Weight (theodolite only) | 8.6 kg |