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Ok. But the link I posted for the Spit MkV instrument panel does not show any dial that looks like that.WWII RAF MKIII B Smiths Cockpit Clock. Jaeger Le Coultre 24 hour Time of Trip
WWII RAF MKIII B Smiths Cockpit Clock. Jaeger Le Coultre 24 hour Time of Trip Here we have a very tidy and clean functioning Smiths MK III B Aircraft clock. Stores reference 6A/839. Supplied to the Air Ministry by S. Smith & Sons (MA) Ltd. London. Metal cased Swiss made Jaeger-Le-Coultre...spitfireparts.co.uk
I trust those, but not information on modellers forums. I'm looking at photos of cockpits, and as I said some I have seen don't show them.You don't trust government documents?
I'm not disagreeing with you. I said "Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm doubtful that this exists." You have provided proof and corrected my ignorance. I'm just trying to understand which spits had them and which did not.You doubted there were clocks in a Spitfire, I have shown you governments documents showing the location of clocks in a Spitfire. They weren't listed in Pilot Notes for the Mk.V so they must have stopped putting them in Spitfires after the Ml.ll. There were clocks in Spitfires
Interesting! I'm on my boat, and frankly I don't have much in the way of references on the Spitfire at home either. However, I don't see "why" one would be considered necessary on an earlier Mk, when the flight time would be measured in a few short hours, and petrol gauges would be far more important and pilots would have a watch anyways. But if they had them, they had them.
what about the later Mks?
I don't trust the information on the modelling sites.
Jim
The image of the ARCs MkV instrument panel appears to show a modern dial where the clock should be. If you look carefully, it appears to have an LCD display.A request on another forum concerns the availability of a vintage "clock" from a Spitfire. Evidently her father wanted a clock from a spitfire for his clock collection and she wanted to get him one for his birthday.
Perhaps I'm "dim" but this is the first I have heard there was a clock on a British WWII aircraft. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm doubtful that this exists. I've seen numerous illustrations/photos of the instrument panel of a Lancaster, but I can't remember seeing such a dial on a Lanc. Aircrew were issued watches for the expressed purpose of telling/recording time. "Synchronize watches". Wasn't the "clock" slang for the airspeed indicator? These instrument panels were awfully cluttered and I don't think a clock was an essential instrument for this aircraft.
If there is a clock for a "Spitfire" perhaps it's for the Triumph Spitfire?
This is the instrument panel for a Spitfire Mk V, no clock:
Cockpit of a Spitfire MkV showing the instrument panel and controls With thanks to the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford for allowing us the photograph the plane Stock Photo - Alamy
Jim
...but that's a modern restoration!No clock in the photos for the IX, XI and XVI Manual.
and as the photo in my first post shows, no clock in the control panel in the Duxford Spit V.
On the Lancaster the clock was just above the throttle levers.A request on another forum concerns the availability of a vintage "clock" from a Spitfire. Evidently her father wanted a clock from a spitfire for his clock collection and she wanted to get him one for his birthday.
Perhaps I'm "dim" but this is the first I have heard there was a clock on a British WWII aircraft. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm doubtful that this exists. I've seen numerous illustrations/photos of the instrument panel of a Lancaster, but I can't remember seeing such a dial on a Lanc. Aircrew were issued watches for the expressed purpose of telling/recording time. "Synchronize watches". Wasn't the "clock" slang for the airspeed indicator? These instrument panels were awfully cluttered and I don't think a clock was an essential instrument for this aircraft.
If there is a clock for a "Spitfire" perhaps it's for the Triumph Spitfire?
This is the instrument panel for a Spitfire Mk V, no clock:
Cockpit of a Spitfire MkV showing the instrument panel and controls With thanks to the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford for allowing us the photograph the plane Stock Photo - Alamy
Jim
In the B-29 both the pilot, and the flight engineer have clocks in their respective panels. The navigator had a even more precise timepiece.Reiterating post #9, No clock in the photos for the Spitfire IX, XI and XVI Pilots notes.
Pilots and Flight Engineer notes for Lancasters MkI, III and X. Air Publication 2062 A, C and F. Pages 51 and 52. No clock identified on the instrument panel. There is, however item #42, "Watch Holder." upper left on the Panel.
Of course time keeping was/is an integral component to navigation. However on a two or four engine bomber it wasn't the pilots job to keep track of time or to navigate. The Navigator, bomb aimer and wireless operator kept detailed records of time. Likely the flight engineer as well.
IMO, in most instances, the pilot relied on his watch for time keeping and dead-reconning.
Where this might get a little trickier, is for long range single engine fighters (Mustangs) and PR Spitfires. Those aircraft may have had more specialized time keeping instruments. View attachment 726245View attachment 726246