T Bolt's 1:1 P-47 Cockpit

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Seems we both have the same sickness, jajajajajaja…….you ever see "The Restorers", Giving history a future…….when I see that movie I understand that I wasn't the only one…….sick!!!

And believe me I have the same thought about finding an R-2800 after finishing the cockpit!!!!!!

Men, I really love a round engine sound, I remember When I was in "SUN and FUN" air show a couple of years ago and just see and hear those engine startup,… I felt like I had been worth the effort to reach there….

My brother, he is a Airliner pilot, time ago send me this, hope you like it.

BIG ROUND ENGINES (Author Unknown)

We gotta get rid of these turbine engines, they are ruining aviation. We need to go back to big round engines. (YEAH, turbines are round but you know what I mean) Anybody can start a turbine. You just move a switch from "OFF" to "START" and then remember to move it back to "ON" after a while. My PC is harder to start than that. Cranking a round engine requires skill, finesse and style. On some planes, the pilots aren't even allowed to do it. Turbines start by whining for a while, then give a small lady-like poof and start whining louder. Round engines give a satisfying rattle-rattle, click-click, BANG, a big macho fart or two, more clicks, a lot of smoke and finally a serious, low pitched roar. We like that. It's a guy thing. When you start a round engine, your mind is engaged and you can concentrate on the flight ahead. Starting a turbine is like flicking on a ceiling fan: useful but hardly exciting. Turbines don't break often enough, leading aircrew to boredom, complacency and inattention. A round engine at speed looks like and sounds like it is going to blow any minute. This helps concentrate the mind. Turbines don't have enough levers to keep the pilot's attention. There's nothing to fiddle with during long flights. Turbines smell like a Boy Scout camp full of Coleman lanterns.
Round engines airplanes smell like God intended flying machines to smell.
I think I hear the nurse coming down the hall. I gotta go.
 
That's a pretty cool project he's got going there! I wish I could read French though. It's amazing what he's done with wood. on page 15 he's got a picture of Darryl and his Spit, and on page 16 he's got one of my pictures of my recognition light switch box he's using as a reference.
 
310_Obluda, a new member PMed me asking about the control grip, so I'm posting the reference pictures I have.

I plan on getting back working on the cockpit, hopefully some time before the end of the year. I'll probably start with some of the sub panels like the tank bomb release panel and the main switch and breaker panel, then move on to the ribs. That's the plan anyway.

 
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Nice pictures T Bolt! Thank You.

I'm still missing info about dimensions. And those are still not perfect to copy the shape.

Well, yes, I can estimate more or less and adapt to my hand, but i would rather have the original size.

But I have found on threads of another members some more pictures of grips.
So it seems, some of you guys have this treasure at home

for example Rocketeer here:

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/start-finish-builds/rocketeers-slow-p-51d-24205-3.html

Or Geedee here:

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/start-finish-builds/geedees-p-51d-cockpit-project-18113-13.html

Hopefully they have recieved messages from me and at least one of them will be able to take pictures, if possible.

I've made some initial sketch, but don't know, how close are my expectations

Click Image to Enlarge Image Hosting

If anybody of you have some more detail, please send me memo or post it.

regards,

310_Obluda
 
Hi all

Here are some dimensions, I hoppe is not to late....
 

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Thanks Ricardo, that's a big help!
Just one more thing, can you give me the diameter of the hole on the bottom of the grip where the control stick fits in?
 
Sulaco....that is a lovely early Guardian made grip!

As Gary may have said, we are developing a mould of these grips. The idea would be a decent casting for cockpits and also a modded one for a sim
 
first day of time off I'm taking at Christmas and I had promised my self that I would get back to the Thunderbolt cockpit, so despite battling a bad cold I managed to get started on the Main Switch Panel. Heres a few pics to prove I'm back to work (although at a snails pace)

Picture 1 The real thing from the P-47 Manual

Picture 2 The dimensions I worked out some time ago

Picture 3 The Aluminum panel I cut with the lay-out on it. I had intended to drill some holes to day, but the cold is kicking my a$$.

 
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Me to, I've a house full of little boxes and a couple of side tables, that's all that's left from my cabinet making fad when the eye's were much better.
 
More work on the main switch/breaker panel

Picture 1 All holes drilled
Picture 2 Switches, breakers and amp meter test fitted
Picture 3 The back of the panel

Some of the breakers and most of the switches will be used to power lights on the control panel. cockpit light switch will hopefully light up the Grimes cockpit light I have if I can figure out how to hook it up. I would like to wire in the amp meter to read the total amps coming into the box before the breakers, but don't know how to do it. Any electrical engineers out there?

 
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