The flight stick ....

[Apoptygma]

Anyone else ever notice that on the Viper flight sticks the red button to launch the laser torpedos reads "Stores" on some and "Fire" on others ...

Why would this be? Are there different models of the Viper being flown in TOS?

[mikedx]

Hey, welcome aboard!

This question may have been covered somewhere previously, but here's what I know. The "stores" written under the red laser button, as well as different designations for the other buttons, to my knowledge was only used in parts of, or maybe the whole Pilot. Then they switched over to "fire" in the rest of the episodes.

My guess is that they used their heads along the way and figured it made more sense to just put "fire" which is a lot easier to understand, but I can't answer the question of why they used "stores" to begin with. Short for weapons stores?

The following two pics were taken (I think, I got these images some time ago) during Saga when Starbuck is flying around the Galactica shooting cylons after the initial attack:





Mike

[Apoptygma]

Thanks for the welcome! Yeah I see also that Camel Pulse was switched to IM for the reverse thrusters. What was the center button called in the pilot ... I know it was turbo in the following episodes. I guess they dumbed downed for the series.

[mikedx]

Well, can't say for sure. I just went through the whole episode, and this is the only other pic of relevance:



The last word is "AUTO". The first letter of the first word is "C", and the last letters are "RA". So I dunno. I also don't know for sure that it is "CAMEL PULSE". It's a posibility, but I don't think you ever see the entire word.

Mike

[Dawg]

It is "camera auto". As I understand it, the joystick they used for these close-ups was marked incorrectly - or, rather, had not been modified - and nobody caught it. I think they were only used in a couple of scenes, though.

Welcome to Fleets, Apoptygma.

I am
Dawg

[Apoptygma]

A cool ... hello Dawg. Then I would assume it's Camera pulse, instead of camel pulse. Heh ...

[Sept17th]

My thinking is the early flight control stick was not modified but my google search of American Air Force fighter cock pit images is not coming up with anything. Closest so far was the SR-81 Blackbird...maybe it is from a Navy plane?

[Centurion Draco]

I agree, I always assumed that the stick was initially filmed in its original guise then changed to be more 'authentic'.
Which if correct leaves the question: what was it originally mounted on that had remote control of camera functions?
I thought that being a film studio it could be taken from some camera set-up on a remote arm.
Alternatively I presume some choppers could have a similar set up for a nose camera?

[Charybdis]

I had heard that it was from a remote control camera apparatus, hence the "camera' on the stick...

On another board, someone found that there is a stick almost exaclty like our beloved Viper stick on some plane called the Bronco...