# Plane part identification



## madeinleith (Sep 28, 2006)

Hi all, 
I have been left this part of an aircraft and would be really 
gratefull for any help to identify it.

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong forum.

Direct links to imageshack. 

http://img174.imageshack.us/img174/8898/dsc00243bc0.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/119/dsc00238el9.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/4665/dsc00237nm5.jpg

I hope it is of some interest.

many thanks 

Madeinleith.


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## Matt308 (Sep 28, 2006)

Need more information like where you found it, in what context (planecrash, battlefield, etc), and size.

Not sure, but here's a guess.

BSA was involved in turret manufacturing for tanks and howitzers. Not sure if they worked the airplane aspects, but perhaps so. It looks like the foot stirrup and pedals (left and right) for a gunners station. The stirrup is stippled with a rubber non-slip coating to keep the gunners feet from inadvertently sliding off. The pedals likely were used to translate the turret or gun mount. You can see that the pedals are slotted to accept cable rigging that likely connected to a solenoid initiating motor assist for the gun mount translation. While there is some wear on the foot stirrup, whatever this is the stirrup does not appear to have received years and years of use under the gunners boot.

The metal is in relatively good shape. Any more information?


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## madeinleith (Sep 29, 2006)

Thanks for the reply Matt.
Sorry not much history with it, my brother and I played with it as kids
[50 yrs +] it only came to light again recently when my mum passed away and it was found in an old box.
My father was a medic during WW2 Italy and Middle East but did not talk
much of the war.

The coating is a type of stiff plastic.

The dimensions are 6 inch wide, 8 inch high and a depth of 1 inch.

The levers are a half inch wide and 3 inches in lengh.

Maybe too small for feet so possibly it is for a tank.
I had thought it was from a plane as I have seen pictures of similar looking parts in plane cockpits.

Thanks for your time and sorry for the double post last time.


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## Matt308 (Sep 29, 2006)

Much to small then. I'm stumped. The stirrup is only 6 inches wide? Thus the pedals are only about a 1x1.5in?

Perhaps others have some idea. Unless you know you can tie it to aviation, I doubt that is its origin. It could be that it is a single foot stirrup whose pedal operation was supposed to activate two actions via separate mechanical cable assemblies. Can't think of an aviation application and BSA was more involved with ground armaments to the best of my knowledge.

As I said, I'm stumped. I'll see what else I can dig up.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Sep 29, 2006)

the top of a controll colum for a fighter perhaps?


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## Matt308 (Sep 29, 2006)

Too crude don't ya think. I thought that initially too, like a P-47 control column. But why the pedals and not levers or buttons for soleniods? And cable rigging running to the top of the control column to connect the pedals? Seems excessively "robust" for a high tech airplane.

But then, I'm out of ideas. I'm beginning to think it might not be related to aviation at all.


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## Matt308 (Sep 29, 2006)

To Lanc's point. Below is a Spitfire column with loop handle.

But ours has crude pedals, slots for cable rigging and the pedals seem to far apart to be manipulated with one hand. Do we know of any WWII fighters that had cable rigging on the control column that initiated the firing solenoids of the cannon/MGs?


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## Matt308 (Sep 29, 2006)

,,and the Hurricane


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## Gnomey (Sep 29, 2006)

It looks very similar to them, the only thing the paddles make me think of is replacements for the rudder pedals (for example for someone like Bader with no legs) but I think that is unlikely, possible but unlikely.


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## Matt308 (Sep 29, 2006)

I too went down that path...


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## Micdrow (Sep 30, 2006)

Picture says it all. Found in FlyPast magazine I just bought today. October 2006 issues. Not sure what biplane but its a start.

Enjoy Midrow


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Oct 1, 2006)

well blow me down... so it is  well spotted 

it appears in an advert for Aero Clocks, here's the site with a lot more info about it, but here's the killer... they want £650 for theirs!

Control Grip


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## mkloby (Oct 1, 2006)

Didn't the Brits use brakes operated by hand rather than foot operated by stomping the top of the rudder pedals?


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## evangilder (Oct 1, 2006)

Good find, Micdrow!


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## FLYBOYJ (Oct 1, 2006)

mkloby said:


> Didn't the Brits use brakes operated by hand rather than foot operated by stomping the top of the rudder pedals?


Yep, just like the Russians...


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## ndicki (Oct 2, 2006)

They ARE gun buttons. Similar to the Soviet IL-2, for example.


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## Matt308 (Oct 2, 2006)

I'll be danged! So breaks? Not gun pedals? And from a biplane. Great find.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Oct 2, 2006)

the aeroclocks site says they're triggers, one for each gun, as many of these bi-planes didn't even have brakes........


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## FLYBOYJ (Oct 2, 2006)

the lancaster kicks *** said:


> the aeroclocks site says they're triggers, one for each gun, as many of these bi-planes didn't even have brakes........



The yoke brakes on British (and Russian) aircraft looked like a bicycle hand brake on the front side of the yoke.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Oct 2, 2006)

ah you're no longer talking about the two silver pedal-like things in the centre... my mistake..........


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## madeinleith (Oct 3, 2006)

Hi
Thanks to everyone for their contributions.
The question now is what to do with it, it is a beautiful piece of engineering and now I know what and where its from all the more interesting,
I must admit to not having the same interest in aircraft history as you guys, and think it would be better if restorers or collectors given the chance would appriecate it more than me. 
Any ideas?

Thanks again.


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## evangilder (Oct 4, 2006)

I am glad that you have the mind to get it to those who will appreciate it. I would think an aviation museum that you could donate it to would be glad to have it. It appears to be in pretty good shape, so it would be a nice specimen for display. I don't know how it works in the UK, but here in the states, if you donate an item to a non-profit museum, they give you a receipt and it makes for a nice tax deduction.


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Oct 4, 2006)

i'll give you £20 for it


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## twoeagles (Oct 18, 2006)

This is the control grip of late model British fighter, probably a Bulldog.
The buttons are firing switches for the gun. Spade grip was standard for the British aircraft.


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## Matt308 (Oct 18, 2006)

What the hell is a bulldog? Never heard of it.

...off to the web.


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## Matt308 (Oct 18, 2006)

Ah, says the wise man. Still never bloody heard of it.


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## Matt308 (Oct 18, 2006)

...oh. Of course!

A minor oversight. He did everything but FLY. God bless him.


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