Horsa glider Dunlop (eureka) air pressure gauge

[Military Kev]

I'm new to this site and am hoping that someone could help me. I'm looking at finding a Dunlop (Eureka) 1-750lbs air pressure gauge. I can't find anything on the web about this gauge. It was mounted on the upper left Horsa instrument panel. I found two pictures of one that had I think a Dunlop number of AHO 15x51, and a RAF part number of G6A/3347. Does anyone know what the complete AHO number is? Thanks for any help

 

[VERSUCH]

Here you go AHO15551 , we had them for Beaufighters.
Regards Mike

 

[Sten_III]

I'm new to this site and am hoping that someone could help me. I'm looking at finding a Dunlop (Eureka) 1-750lbs air pressure gauge. I can't find anything on the web about this gauge. It was mounted on the upper left Horsa instrument panel. I found two pictures of one that had I think a Dunlop number of AHO 15x51, and a RAF part number of G6A/3347. Does anyone know what the complete AHO number is? Thanks for any help

That first pic you posted is of a replica panel which is fitted with a couple of gauges that are incorrect; the 'climb & descent' for example was only used on the very early MKI Horsa instrument panels, those without a 'cable angle indicator'. The 700 p.s.i pressure gauge reads too high for a Horsa.

 

[Military Kev]

That first pic you posted is of a replica panel which is fitted with a couple of gauges that are incorrect; the 'climb & descent' for example was only used on the very early MKI Horsa instrument panels, those without a 'cable angle indicator'. The 700 p.s.i pressure gauge reads too high for a Horsa.

Sten III, thanks for your information. I seems like there is very little information out on the internet about the Horsa glider instrument panel. I'm waiting on the upper panel brackets from the metal shop. Then my three year project will be complete.

 

[Sten_III]

No problem Kev, just wish I'd been able to help before you embarked on your project; I've a ton of info here that would have been useful.

As you so rightly noted, finding good clear images of these panels isn't easy; the pilot's notes book for the Horsa shows an early Mk1 glider panel and in most of the wartime photos, it's hard to make out the pressure gauge and the text on the warning plates; for the latter, a still from a Pathe News film showing a Horsa taking-off was just clear enough for me to read.

So essentially there were two different instrument configurations for the Mk1 Horsa. The first is the early type which featured (going clockwise from the upper centre), an artificial horizon, climb & descent, turn & slip, altimeter and an airspeed indicator. The second configuration that was seen on gliders used during d-day and at Arnhem; these featured a cable angle indicator MkII, turn & slip, altimeter and an airspeed indicator. The MkIII cable angle indicator started appearing circa mid-'44; so possibly a bit too late for d-day, but some may have been in use by the time of Arnhem.

I'm working on producing drawings of the warning plates in the hope I can find someone who can engrave directly from them; I guess the drawings will need to be scanned and digitised so a CNC engraving machine can do the job. The weight warning plate is difficult as matching-up the original font has been nigh-on impossible. I've ended-up with a very close match using no less than three different fonts; it's hard to explain how I've gone about doing this but it looks good. Another bug-bear has been the irregular spacing between the words!.

I was very fortunate to pick-up an original speed warning plate years ago. This will be replicated for my panel due to the fragility of the original. Talking of which, the material this plate was made from is paxolin; I knew the old memory bank would kick-in with the name eventually!. Not sure what the weight warning plate was made of because as I mentioned in my last post, the text on those was engraved rather than hot-pressed.

Good looking panel there, well done. I would personally drop the climb & descent but that's your call.

 

[abaddon1]

The Warning Labels are indeed difficult from the quality of available photographs. For our Horsa Cockpit reconstruction at the Jet Age Museum, we contacted the Dutch Museum who were very helpful and supplied photographs. We then reproduced graphics based on them using a mix of Spartan and Arial fonts...

 

[abaddon1]

At the Jet Age Museum we are beginning to repopulate the Pilot Instrument panel of our Airspeed AS51 Horsa Assault Glider cockpit project, and, in spite of extensive research, we have been unable to establish the layout of the instrument panel Suction, Pitot and Static pressure pipe runs.
There are many photographs of the front of the panel, but very few indistinct examples of the panel rear, and no information whatsoever in the Pilot Notes.
Both the British examples, (the De Havilland restoration and the example at the Museum of Army Flying) are incomplete, and they are unable to supply accurate information that will assist.
If anyone possesses a drawing or a complete, accurate photograph of the above-mentioned pipe runs, any assistance would be much appreciated.
We assume the individual instrument interconnections are similar to a standard Blind Flying Panel, but, we also need to establish whether the system includes a Vacuum Pressure Reducer Manifold, and a Pitot/Static Manifold Block, and their relevant locations on the Instrument panel, as well as the routing of the pipes.

 

[Airframes]

I'm currently in a field in Norfolk, and won't be home until 2nd October, so I'm unable to check my own photo files on my PC.
There's a photo there I took of the cockpit section of a Horsa that's in the Airborne museum at Duxford, which might show the back of the panel, although I'll admit I don't know (until I view the photo) if all the instruments are connected.
Maybe do a search for pics from the museum ?

 

[Jed]

At the Jet Age Museum we are beginning to repopulate the Pilot Instrument panel of our Airspeed AS51 Horsa Assault Glider cockpit project, and, in spite of extensive research, we have been unable to establish the layout of the instrument panel Suction, Pitot and Static pressure pipe runs.
There are many photographs of the front of the panel, but very few indistinct examples of the panel rear, and no information whatsoever in the Pilot Notes.
Both the British examples, (the De Havilland restoration and the example at the Museum of Army Flying) are incomplete, and they are unable to supply accurate information that will assist.
If anyone possesses a drawing or a complete, accurate photograph of the above-mentioned pipe runs, any assistance would be much appreciated.
We assume the individual instrument interconnections are similar to a standard Blind Flying Panel, but, we also need to establish whether the system includes a Vacuum Pressure Reducer Manifold, and a Pitot/Static Manifold Block, and their relevant locations on the Instrument panel, as well as the routing of the pipes.

Surprised no-one thought to send me an email...

Assuming you're still following the original plan it's a standard RAF BFP so the back of the panel is connected as per AP 1275A Vol.1, Sec.10, Chap. 1.
The static, pitot and venturi pipe runs go up the central nose beam to where it meets the bulkhead then vertical up to the roof. The venturi runs up the starboard side, with the suction relief valve mounted in the run approx. halfway between the window "sill" and the first horizontal frame. The static and pitot lines come from the port side and then run side by side up the inside face of the nose beam.

Looks at the photos in the pilots notes.

 

[Jed]

BTW - to the original poster (though its 3 years ago) - that's the wrong type of gauge. The brake system on the Mk.I was only 80psi with a 200psi feed so you need an AHO/3386 gauge.