1:1 Spitfire K9817 Cockpit Build

[T Bolt]

Looks like you were having a great time Darryl!! I loved the inverted loop in the fifth picture, good thing you had the harness on!!
Edit:
My son Jack just saw your pictures and wants to borrow your Spit. I told him you lived in western Australia. He said he didn't care!

 

[Tony Hill]

My son Jack just saw your pictures and wants to borrow your Spit. I told him you lived in western Australia. He said he didn't care!

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Excellent job Darryl!!!! It looks like you are really enjoying the fruits of all your labor. Well deserved sir.

 

[Airframes]

Yes Darryl, I did feel like that! Also, for the first time ever when flying, I felt disorientated, and hadn't a clue where we were! It was only when we made a 180 degree turn, and I picked up some land marks, that I realised we'd been circling the same area, about a four or five mile diameter, for the past hour !

 

[vikingBerserker]

 

[Tony Hill]

Thanks Aaron, I appreciate it mate! I had another session with several of the guys from around our office building last night. It is as much fun to watch as to fly just now. The F-16 has a "wow" factor with most people who see it but usually gets a "no, I couldn't, you fly it" when offered. The Spitfire is universally "please can I have a go!!"

Terry, Yes, I know what you mean...even more fun when that happens and you are the PILOT

 

[Airframes]

Er...ahem....I know what you mean ! What me sir, no sir !

 

[Spits]

The MAJOR discovery was just HOW hard it is to look behind you. I guess there is always a feeling, in hindsight that "if I had been in the Battle of Britain *I* wouldn't have got bounced because *I* wouldn't /let my guard down/forget to turn/forget to look behind/get caught napping / etc, etc" I am now firmly convinced that *I* should probably have got shot down on my first flight whilst desperately clinging to my Flight Leader and wrestling the Merlin JUST to keep up!!! I would guess you felt similar whilst wrestling that camera?

Use your bl00dy rear view mirror..And never fly a straight line for more than a few seconds in the combat area......!!!!
The reckon about 85% of the Hurricane pilots during the BoB never saw their attacker due to them having to concentrate on staying in position Tis a sobering thought..Yeah get a few mates around with a few beers and fly around the English country side..What a life

 

[Wayne Little]

Super stuff Darryl..

 

[Tony Hill]

Use your bl00dy rear view mirror..And never fly a straight line for more than a few seconds in the combat area......!!!!

Ross, NOW you tell me???

Actually the frightening part of that statistic is that it applies even AFTER they were out of the aircraft ie they NEVER saw the aircraft thta shot them down. Apparently it was closer to 95% BEFORE the other aircraft opened fire!

I am looking at getting a small USB screen to mount as a rear view mirror..primarily for watching out for contrails.

Terry

Cheers Wayne, having a blast. I was going to have video today but ahve to take a 400km round trip now tonight to pick my sister up from the airport. So it will be a few more days. Sorry guys..I promise it will be worth the wait.



D

 

[Wayne Little]

Bl**dy better be.....

 

[Tony Hill]

Bl**dy better be.....

If I ever get the damed lights working they will look good as well. Right now a corruption has not only taken out the light programme but all the gauges as well. I am rapidly getting to "bike in the bush" stage again. As soon as the gauges are sorted out I will try the DVD software again and get some video up....on b00dy thing after another this week so far....

 

[Tony Hill]

Some tangible progress today. I sorted the lights out..at least in as far as the software was causing problems with my gauge software. So I needed a break from learning the lights stuff!!

Tony was kind enough to organise trim wheels for me that arrived during the week. So between Wednesday Night and today, I got them drilled, engraved (the rudder trim casting was a little light after I put on the first coat of the epoxy paint I have decided to use). An hour with the Dremel engraver and it came back nicely. Another hour and the legends and arrows were painted to "satisfactory" standard. A final coat of Cabots satin floor sealer makes them rock hard and ready for the heavy use that (particularly the Elevator wheel) they get.

The major problem was however that the Elevator trim wheel is much larger than the mock up I had...and that means that the new one fouled the Gun Camera and Preassure Head Heating Switch assembly....so a THIRD remake for that is in progress. It will be much bigger and better scale..3 inches deaper and also cover more of the port wall, as it should.

In the second picture you can see the two fuse boxes now to hand..after not a little drama!! and the Radiator Lever placard..lastly the double fuelcock face which will be going in when I build a new double switch fuelcock to bring her back to Mk II standard.

Next is the actual Radiator Shutter Lever Gwyn built for me and now installed but not wired.

Lastly you can see the chaos where there will soon be the new trim panel.

.

The silver tap is for a rear fuel tank (early PRU modification) and the electric fuel pump switch is, of course, for that and also not standard for MkII


NOW, I have some lights working and a promise of video editing help from the War Office for tomorrow afternoon, so MAYBE I might just get the done.


Lastly, the door latch is arriving day by day. (we're at about issue 5 now ) There was a picture of the bits so far but the computer seems to have eaten it...0145 here, so tomorrow...now I had better get some sleep!

 

[Airframes]

Heck you've been active mate. It's an incredible set up though - you could hire it out for film work, or charge for simulator time for pilots wanting to convert to type, say, after a Harvard but before the 'real thing'. Oh b*ll*cks, I've given you ideas now haven't I ?!!

 

[vikingBerserker]

Man, that is just so inpressive!

 

[Tony Hill]

Thanks guys!



Terry, yes, I think you are No 4 on my wife's "I want them dead list" (3 is some jerk who ran into her car once, 2 is me
and 1 is, naturally enough, Meryl Streep).

I fear the arrows should have been in red and green rather than white. I have seen one photo that way and another in which I am sure they are white. But the former seems more logical. I may change them or I may just have a cup of tea a Bex and a good lie down.....

Glad you like her VB. I must say I am surprising myself.

I have also just been advised that the "swage" I have had made (which has ended up more a punch and die) to do the swaged holes in the rib behind the trim wheels and, on the other side, where the De-ice pump is mounted, is finished and on its way to me in the post. That will allow me to finish those ribs they are highly visible being right next to the pilot and will look good if I can do them. The Fuse Boxes should just set the whole area off.

Hopefully some good stuff coming today but first the real world intrudes...



.

 

[T Bolt]

Very Impressive Darryl!!

 

[Tony Hill]

Thanks Glenn,

A frustrating day here. I had a paint disaster with the trim panel but have now got it finished tonight. It will be Thursday or the weekend now before I will get anything more done at all. probably not a bad thing teh way I am feling right now!

So all I have to show for the day is the trim panel installed and waiting to have the wiring fixed up again. The U/C indicator and Low Volts are wired and working but I'll get those on video as theay are no different from what they were before in a "still"

The wiring also needs to be tied away from the Rear Fuelcock. I'm not sure how I'm going to do that, not much to attach it to.


More soon...now bed

 

[Tony Hill]

Oh, and I forgot to get new photos of Ross' efforts on the door latch...but it is looking superb!!

 

[Airframes]

Bl**dy nice work mate! It looks for all the world like the real thing.