The practice of sighting stars using a sextant had been commonplace amongst navigators for hundreds of years aboard ships, and proved to be applicable to faster moving aircraft as well, however, the task required a 360-degree view of the celestial horizon.
The practice of using a sextant to determine star positions was common among sailors for centuries, and proved useful for aircraft traveling at high speeds as well. The task required a full 360-degree view of the celestial horizon.