Spitfire IX Project

[Tony Hill]

Gwyn and Leonie came down on the weekend with the final piece for the Spitfire...the Radiator Shutter Lever. It is not functional in the A2A model yet but will be. We had a great fly, cracked a bottle of Moet to "christen" her and generally had a good time. No video yet but a whole lot of fun. A mate has an Irvin Jacket, so we just couldn’t resist…. It makes the whole cockpit shrink VERY quickly and you start to get a feeling for what it must have been like to sit squeezed into the Spitfire for hours. It also explains some of the “put the Spitfire on“ rather than “get into the Spitfire” which many pilots describe.

Unfortunately even in mid winter, as it is here now, the jacket is intolerably hot, so I just couldn’t wear it for long periods. In summer you would literally boil your brain.


I now have a whole new understanding of some of what Spitfire pilots faced. Maps on knees and trying to stay on course whilst barely having room to move and heaven only knows how the **** you look over your shoulder to see behind!!


Video as soon as possible, probably on Sunday.


When they will see the pig half-man:
Noise, song, battle, fighting in the sky perceived,
Nostradamus


Ready to go.


Chocks away



Easy turns.


Throwing her around


Hanging in the straps



Pre landing checks


Turning final


Short final


Having a ball flying this baby. It’s a pity I have to work during the day!!

[Kennair]

That is awesome Darryl! I wish I could have been there. Does that inverted shot mean you have a 7 DOF mount

Cheers,

Ken.

[Tony Hill]

Hi Ken,

Any time you want to come down, there's a room free.


The inverted picture is my (soon to be patented) 7PoG model. I find that after 5PoG the room spins and the extra two pints then make it stay upside down

[Kennair]

Ahh, yes I see now. Sometimes called the hops effect or down your way, the Cab Sav effect. Darn good addition to any home sim I must say.

Ken.

[Tony Hill]

Cheers, I just have to organise a "fuel bowser" to keep up the rate!

[jackwall]

Just read this entire thread .... having had the thread's link forwarded by Gwyn. I'd probably have found it eventually, but glad for the bump!
I'm starting in this world of flight sim with a modest Cessna 172P simpit. However, long time growing aspirations for building a Spitfire bubble every so often and what a motivation this thread has been.

The fabrication is truely amazing [kudos to all involved].

I've got a question to clear up .... Looking a Gwyn's master class in fabrication earlier in the thread [the rudder pedals], I can see yaw control but where was the brake control?

Now I learn that the brakes in a spitfire are hand lever controlled and not rudder applied ...right?

Happy flying

Jack

[Tony Hill]

G'day Jack,

That is almost correct. The hand lever activates a valve which releases stored pneumatic pressure (courtesy of an engine driven pump and two cylinders at 200psi) to the brakes. The pedals actually share this pressure between brakes, so at neutral both brakes get even pressure. If one pedal is depressed, this directs more pressure to that side. So turning on the ground is done by means of pulling the hand lever and then depressing the appropriate pedal. (a little power helps too of course but must be used VERY carefully).

Now FSX does not replicate that but after giving some thought to how I wanted it to work and some discussion with Gwyn he came up with a practical solution....
A 3/4 pull of the lever (achieved by keeping the bottom two fingers on the spade and pulling the lever up against them) closes a switch which makes the left and right brake circuits available. Two switches on the left and right rear of the rudder bar can then be closed by pushing the appropriate rudder to near full travel. The "full" pull without fingers in between, causes BOTH brakes to activate.

It is an acceptable compromise, particularly for the early, small rudder, Spitfires with fully castoring tail wheel, as they are never turned with anything less than agressive use of rudder and brake.

The real problem came with getting the "feel" of hand braking as the Spitfire is also notoriously nose heavy on the ground and anything more than a gentle prod tends to lift the tail at once. Wise Spitifre pilots do not use the parking brake for "run ups" as if it begins to tip, there is no way to disengage it quickly enough to let the aircraft run forward rather than nose over.

Even Carolyn Grace managed to have a "prop strike" a little while back, after all her hours on the Spitifre!! Hers was a taxiing accident if memory serves.

Thanks and glad you enjoyed the thread!

regards


Darryl

[Crescent]

Awesome work Darryl. Glad to see you're up and flying!

[jackwall]

Cheers Darryl, inventive and practical solution from a sim perspective.

I'd always assumed the Spitfire used conventional braking but then again, I'd initially assumed the stick was convention too.


....and nose heavy, this characteristic appears to be mimicked well in the sims I've played ..... My early landings were horrible. LOL ....... nothing to do with me noobness of course!!!

Wish you many hours a fun.

Jack

[Tony Hill]

Awesome work Darryl. Glad to see you're up and flying!

Cheers mate!!!

Any progress on the Lanc?