Spitfire IX Project

[Joe Cygan]

Wow!!! Your project is insane!

[Crescent]

Just awesome Darryl!

[Westozy]

I want it all back!!!
Gwyn

Ok,

Couldn't leave it alone, some more progress in a short time tonight.


The updated photos in better light conditions:









The Trim unit I built (with a real P51 Rudder Trim and Gwyn's fabricated Trim wheel), the two switches at the bottom are for Camera Power and Pitot Heat. The "tracks" are to run the chains back from the Elevator Trim wheel to a dummy set of push/pull rods.

Next to it is Gwyn's shameless attempt at making me look REALLY bad..his beautiful throttle Unit!




"The Office"

The real thing:





The sim so far






My favourite shot of the whole thing so far...the view from the throne:




I am actually starting to think I may finish this......



Darryl

[Westozy]

Thanks mate,

I'll have to let Gwyn answer most of your questions mate but I do know that the travel is only 11deg forward and 11 deg back so the stick does not move a huge way.

I think the forward shock actually "pulls" on the stick as you move the stick back and the rear when pushed forward. But it is a few moths since I have seen the unit.

Darryl

This is how the yoke works!



Regards Gwyn

[Tony Hill]

Thanks guys.

Gwyn, you can have them back when you prise them from my cold, dead hands!!

Joe, not entirely sure that it is just the project that is insane!

Chris, cheers mate.


The constant battle is to produce parts that fit in with Gwyn's. Not easy for a non tradie, non artiste like me. It is comming along nicely now though and the metalwork is getting easier as I learn. The next job is the wood seat and then making the other side cockpit coaming. THAT is not a nice job and matching it to the right side will be "interesting" no doubt.



thanks again guys, always nice to get some encouragement in my delusions!


Darryl

[Tony Hill]

Well, a long while between posts..a lot of jungle, some bad luck, some carelessness and some challenges in between.....but I made it here at last.
This weekend has been spent almost entirely on the Spitfire, so some fair progress made. The upper structure (save for the door) is complete. The cockpit coaming was a terror but didn't finish up too bad I think. I also put all the labels on the main panel and temp fitted the gun sight.



I also finally got the compass finished and while it is not functional, it does look pretty good and unless I put the real one beside it, it is hard to tell the difference.





The position behind the stick and well forward makes it quite hard to see and the parallax error is huge so navigation on the compass alone must have been a nightmare.

Last of all I did up a couple of templates for the skin. I am still undecided on material but the plastic I used for the templates is pretty durable and if glued onto the formers looks like it would be quite strong. It is not too bad to work with and I may just get some more, cut better pieces and use it as the final skin. I will have to test paint some to see how well it takes. The structure may need a couple of extra longerons if I go that route, as the monocoque effect is not great with the plastic skin.




Lastly, before I went away, I almost finished the seat



Once the skin is done there will only be the wiring and some detailing to do in the pit itself and the computer box and monitor tray to build (plus rearrange my whole office to cut down the desk and fit the pit in......



More soon with any luck.

[Crescent]

Looks fantastic Tony. Good progress on the pit. Did you consider thin aluminum for the skin? I'm going to use 1/32 (20 guage) aluminum for mine. It's very flexable and easy to work over the frame. Also, where did you get the compass? Original or built?

[Anderson/SBSP]

Wow!! Amazing work!!

[Tony Hill]

Thank you gents,

Cresent, I considered Aluminium but it will be difficult to fix...I would need to flush rivet the whole thing instead of pop rivets as there is no inner skin or floor in the Spitfire to hide pop rivet bulges. The thin alu would also be susceptible to bending damage, kinks etc.

The compass is a mockup, made from plumbing fittings, fabricated aluminium stop lever, laser engraved numbers and n,s,e,w, and using my "3d" method of back and front engraving on several layers of acrylic. I have a real compass but don't wish to use it due to the radiation (it pegs my dosimeter at about 2 yards!) Put together they are very similar, apart the one is barely distinguishable from the other.


Darryl

[Westozy]

Hi all,

I spent another few hours on the CNC today making switch levers for Darryl's Spitfire sim! I'll post them Monday Darryl...





Cheers Gwyn