Sperry A-3 Gyro pilot

[David J Burke]

Hi anyone know what this was fitted to ?

[Taigh Ramey]

The A-3 was an early version that was used in many pre war civil and military aircraft. The A-3A was used extensively throughout WWII and post war in many aircraft from the Beech 18, C-47 series, early B-25's, a lot of large Navy aircraft like the PBY, PV-1 and PV-2 etc. It was quite common.

[ALOHADAVE]

according to one source:
The Sperry Gyroscope Company A-3 was a simple autopilot and only corrected angular deviations in the aircraft’s straight and level course. It utilized pneumatic hydraulic servos, which had a tendency to react slowly to inputs, and this often led to overcompensation of the aircraft’s corrected course. This caused navigation and control issues when pilots were flying in poor weather or rough air.