1:1 Spitfire K9817 Cockpit Build

[the swimmer]

Darryl,
I actually work for an aviation museum, and while sitting in an actual Spit is out of the question because of conservation reasons, a mockup would do just fine, and I am wondering whether or not I might be able to convince the right people to give the go-ahead on a project like this. ...So I am very intrigued by your little project here! Do you plan to have an enclosed canopy? Are all of the controls going to be synced up with the computer game? How much time have you put into building the cockpit structure? How many hours have you put in to it total? What has the cost been so far? Are you planning to get something to simulate the liferaft and parachute, or will the seat be a little more comfortable? And why, oh why did you ever decide to take on such an undertaking?

Cheers,

JB

 

[Rocketeer]

Darryl
I love the fact that your Spit will have moving dials and be a sim......I would like to do this one day...possibly with the Whirly 1/4 cockpit. Keep up the excellent work old chap!

 

[T Bolt]

Darryl

I was just looking back at your thread at the point that you were cutting out your panel and telling my wife it looked like when I was doing mine, then checked in at my thread and saw your reply about cutting panel holes. I know that drilling the last hole feeling well. Guess we're on the same wavelength. Haven't had the time yet to look over your whole thread yet but what I've seen so far is fantastic!!!!

Keep up the good work and how about some recent overall pictures!

 

[Tony Hill]

Thanks guys, as always your interest and encouragement is most appreciated.

Swimmer, PM to follow tonight. But briefly, yes, she is linked to FSX, the aircraft of choice is now the A2A Spitfire Mk1A and many ammendments have been made to create a sort of "hybrid" that can still be used to fly the Spitfire IX, or any otther marque for that matter. No canopy due to fire risk and problems with visuals if looking through a curved canopy. Seat will have a cusion fashioned to look like a parachute but much softer (thank god we don't have to wear those damned things for aerobatics out here!!) . I think hours are around the 2000 mark based on 10 hours in a normal week but most long weekends and festive holidays over 2 and a bit years.



Tony, I'll look forward to seeing that!!! Sounds great.


Glenn, "a less successful than I would like" weekend but I got a couple of metal things made and painted..pictures to follow of the Remote Contactor frame (with modern Collins radio inset instead of timer) and the big job, the housing that protects the control lines coming from the undercarriage controller. That required some heavy duty measuring to fit it flush, two opposing bends and a curve (the last of which I cheated on but I dont have a stretcher).


cheers guys, more soon,



.

 

[T Bolt]

Darryl

Sounds like you had a more productive weekend than I did. Had to do some emergency home repair and only managed to install one small bit of aluminum I had made up last week. Hopefully I'll sneak in some work during the week.

 

[Night Fighter Nut]

You know with all these different cockpits being built you would think someone would try to do a German fighter.

 

[Airframes]

Been wanting to build a Bf109E cockpit for years. When I had the space and cash, I didn't have the time. Now, I have the required, but not the space! One of these days.....

 

[Tony Hill]

Actually mate, I reckon if you diced all those old models instead of doing 'em back up, you'd probably have the room....

 

[Airframes]

He He! Wish I had mate! Not enough room for the models, let alone a 1:1 cockpit and part fuselage!

 

[CONNOCHR]

Thats amazing work, really impressive, can't wait to see the finished product. After all how many people can say they have a full Spitfire cockpit to sit in, its something to be proud of and it honors the veterans as well.

 

[Tony Hill]

After all how many people can say they have a full Spitfire cockpit to sit in, its something to be proud of and it honors the veterans as well.

Thanks mate. Appreciated. Yes, I hope it honours the veterans, that is certainly my intention...particularly the oft forgotten heros of PRU, like Tony Hill. A dangerous and far more difficult job than even I realised until deeper research.



The weekend, as usual, is not running to schedule but I will almost get there. I won't be finished the structural due to getting sidetracked on my new toy yesterday.

The push for single exposue button is working (for taking screen shots) and the red light is functional. I have an idea for the green light but have to check if the "flashing" circuit I have will work. Otherwise I may well arm it with a flashing LED. We'll see.

I am very happy with how close Chris and I came with the mock up. It is very close in dimensions, just a fair bit thinner than the real one and a little smaller. Still, going off scaling from photos I am pleased. The real one will now take up residence, the fake one will be converted to a junction box for the wiring.

I finished the Windscreen De-Icing and it has now been engraved by Chris, white undercoat, black top coat and then laser off the black.It gives a magic finish as you can see.

Remote Contactor (mounting the Collins Radio instead of the timer) is also finished and this time raised tags engraved by Chris.

On then to the U/C controller unit

The cover that runs between the U/C unit and the panel frame was a major job. Measuring the angles and the bends to still fit squarely in the gap was a major stretch for me. I ended up leaving lots of excess and trimming it down to fit in. It compliments Gwyns U/C perfectly I think (to which i also added the small detail of the cylinder on the rear. Pictures: (I did however not notice the sawdust until after these shots DOH!!)

I also found that I had given Gwyn the wrong picture of the Tank Pressurecock. So a little modification, a repaint and it was ready to go. Then I fabricated the front and rear plates to hold the legend and the rotary switch for thecock.

Assembled and fitted..(just some painting left to do)

The new version of the IFF Destruction Unit. NO COMMENT on this, at least none that is printable..but it looks OK now (ended up changing to a bigger "Emergency" warning label as Gwyn has agreed to make me a scale Emergency Undercarriage Lowering bottle , handle and valve, so it will be nice to draw more attention to it!!.

Another gratuitous compass shot...simply because I LOVE this bit!!!

The current "persons of interest"

And to finish for the day, a fairly busy section of "Spitfireville", the right hand side almost complete and test fitted before the skinning starts:

Well, a solid couple of days..tomorrow has to go because of family stuff unfortunately but Monday will be all building..hopefully to skinned stage still?? Paining next weekend, wiring weekend after? We'll see....

 

[T Bolt]

Amazing Darryl, it's really coming along!! You'll be done a long time before me. What are you using for the skin, and how are you attaching it to the framing?

 

[Geedee]

Looking real good now Darry.

Dont forget to get some unfeasably large loudspeakers mounted behind your 'Spit, then you can really annoy the neighburs each and every time you firewall the loudlever

I'm off all next week to try and get some more done on my '51. its got to be in a presentable state to take to this years Cockpitfest !. Cockpitfest incorporating the ICC Need to speak to you about presenting your 'Spit this year as well, so will get off a PM to you later so as not to highjack things here.

Keep going mate, wont belong before we hear 'Tallyho across this site !

 

[Wayne Little]

Excellent work, Darryl!

 

[Airframes]

Bl**dy marvellous! It's come a long way since looking for info on the Type35 contol unit. All coming together nicely now mate, and I'm really looking forward to the roll-out. Or should that be 'roll across' - the room, that is?!

 

[Tony Hill]

Thanks Gents,

Some more photos by the end of tomorrow.

Even though I haven't got as much as I wanted to done so far, I am happy with the way it is coming together.

Must dash......family

 

[Tony Hill]

Another frustrating day. I got playing around with the radiator shutter handle. I have a Dowty switch to use as a "base" and I was going to just tack on a wood handle....then I got thinking about how the real thing works. It has a button on top which releases a tang from a gate so the handle can move. After some mental gymnastics, I realised that if I cut slots in the bottom of a metal tube handle, I could slide a wingnut up into them on a piece of threaded rod, lock at the bottom and have a compression spring to hold the tang (wingnut "ears") in the gate ... push down and hey presto...out of the gate. It is about half finished and seems to work well so far. Pictures later in the week.

 

[Spits]

Last few hours here in NZ mate.Amazing work you have done,now time to populate the port side.Anything you need mate just ask.Will go out to the hangar tomorrow to pick up the Bulb holder for you.Keep going mate it looks fantastic.

 

[Tony Hill]

Last few hours here in NZ mate.Amazing work you have done,now time to populate the port side.Anything you need mate just ask.Will go out to the hangar tomorrow to pick up the Bulb holder for you.Keep going mate it looks fantastic.

Cheers mate, I am getting antsy now...so close and SOOOOOOOO far away. But at the risk of crueling it..everything is going pretty well in the final stages.
Hope you enjoyed the show!! Cheers for the Bulb Holder. I think I have most of the rest short of the door latch we've spoken about.



An unexpected few minutes with the camera tonight...

The Radiator Shutter Lever in progress. I cut two grooves up either side of a steel tube. Screwed a butterfly nut (wingnut) on the end of a threaded rod (with a locking nut) put a couple more along the length to stop the "play" inside the tube and topped it off with a nylex locking nut "button".
The bottom wooden stopper doubles as a mount for the Dowty switch.

When the button is depressed the against a compression spring it moves the butterfly nut down and this will disengange it from a "gate". The gate will have positions for each of the of the switch (four ..corresponding to Open, cruise, guns warm and closed, the four normal shutter positions.

The gate and mount is the next job.
The Morse Key mounting is my first compound curve (I cheated with the cockpit coaming) achieved by bending over and around an old jar lid. A simple looking piece but not easy to make. I think it came out satisfactorily though.

A few of the progress on the left cockpit wall.

The Throttle is painted, the handles painted and clearcoated, the red boost cut out now adjusted to the right colour, the mounting made more secure and I just need to make the "Airscrew Control" legend to go on the black lever closest. I think I will leave the others bare metal for effect.

The great Trim Wheel Gwyn made is, in some respects like the later ones and in others like the earlier version. As the primary focus is now the Spitfire 1A / 2A, I painted in the centre and it is now very like the early model. (another jar lid as a painting mask!!) The rudder trim is still wrong (Mustang) but I will replace that in due course.
All the levers, panels, handles and trims have now been clear coated and the duller finish is more in line with a warbird.
I've also added a third switch housing to the bottom of the other two ...so now have Pressure Head Heat, Fuel Pump (not strictly a Mk 1 or 2 feature!) and a Camera Master. I still need to get the chains to run dummies from the trim wheels.

That's about it for now.

 

[Airframes]

Beaut work Darryl. Looks like there's as mich time and effort goes into one component as there is in the average 1/48th scale model!