Help Identify this Panel Please!!

[salutewwii]

Hello All,



I'm a newbie to this forum so thanks in advance for any replies and wisdom bestowed upon me from the many who are more experienced and smarter than me.

I've been collecting and building working WWII panels (with wood) for many years and came across this on ebay. I had to buy it as I couldn't identify what aircraft it came from. The facts: (I think): Every gauge and switch down to the wiring and screws on the back are WWII vintage. One exception may be the push button start switches of which I have never seen before. They look to be radium under glass similar to any other WWII radium switch. They are momentary push button starter switches. Being radium, would definitely put them the war time era. It's a twin engine. It's a fighter (gun sight rheostat, gun camera control). It has a Heated pitot.

Front mounting screws are phillips, not real common during the war era but did exist and were used. So......all that being said.......any ideas???? Maybe a transitional period (prop to jet) panel???Thanks so much in advance....oh yeah...the angled mounting bracket to which the panel is attached leads me to believe it was mounted on the left side of the cockpit. Just an educated guess.......

 

[Crimea_River]

Welcome aboard. No idea.

 

[MiTasol]

The gunsight rheostat is dated 1944.
Two chemical tank switches should narrow the search.
I have a suspicion but I will need to check it out

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I'm thinking a B-25? Right side front cockpit?

 

[salutewwii]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the responses. I've figured it out. It's from a Bell P-59 Airacomet. First U.S. fighter jet. Basically used as a test platform more than anything else. Situ is what I thought, left side of cockpit. Really cool piece of history. I've put the Air Force National Museum address below for anyone interested in checking it out. It has links to the cockpit photos. Thanks again.

Bell P-59B Airacomet > National Museum of the US Air Force™ > Display

 

[vikingBerserker]

Great job figuring that one out!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Outstanding! The start switches had me perplexed because usually you'll find the magneto switches close by.

 

[salutewwii]

Yeah....I hear ya. It took me a week of digging through photos of twin engine aircraft during the WWII era. There were only 66 operational airframes built.
So this is a pretty dang rare panel. Anyone ever seen those radium push button starter switches on anything else? If you looked at the B model they had shrouded plastic/metal starter switches. Since it only took me a week, , I think I'll try and figure out if this came from an A/B model or prototype!

Right.......good luck with that one!! (I can hear that coming from somewhere). Actually I'll just mount a WWII cockpit UV light on it and use one of the existing light starter/dimmer to glow this baby up in my office at night and enjoy it.

Thanks again everyone and if any of you ever need help with a WWII gauge/light/switching project please don't hesitate to ask.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL!!

 

[salutewwii]

Happy New Year to All!!!!!
Just wanted to show a pic of the P-59 panel. I've fabricated a UV lamp bracket and used the Battery switch and existing UV Starter/Dimmer switch on the panel to operate it. I used the angled bracket hole (existing) on the panel to attach the cockpit lamp bracket. Didn't want to mod the panel in ANY way so it still is "as found". Now I can sit back and enjoy with visible or black light. Only a few items still glow though....the two ammeter needles and a couple of the switches.