NZFF

Full 1:1 Spitfire Sim using A2A Spitfire I/II. Currently stripped down and being rebuilt entirely as a Spitfire I. Sorry for boring anyone who has seen this (blame Ian W

Here are a few in some sort of build order:
































































Next Stage:

A quick shot of the stainless steel and Brass Spitfire I type cockpit plackards engraved for me by Chris. The limitations plate is a real "new old stock" and so joins the list of real parts in the sim.



Spitifre I Manual Undercarriage Pump











Sitting in Sim


Real thing...P9374



The basic layout:





Final test fit of all the painted parts of the main pump. I still have to do the mounting brackets, the
cockpit wall plate, the locking pin control wires and bend some clock spring to make the various holders and limit stops etc. Also still need to do the pipework. But for now I am just happy that it has come out "close to" the real thing!










LATELY:

some other acquisitions:

Correct early (pre regulator, Merlin II engine) Generator Switch.


The correct Starting Magneto switch:



A couple of these for Oxygen Hose clips



One of these:


Out of which to build one of these:



(Which are at least ten times the price IF you can find one).


Well, after everything lately and, frankly, seriously considering moving to PNG to live in the mountains.., today at last a very nice early Christmas present. I was contacted again, via another site, by the people who made my replica Undercarriage Indicator. They were so thrilled to see their indicator go into my cockpit, that they have asked me to return it, to be replaced by a fully working one! They want to contribute to the project by donating a unit!

This is just a wildly generous offer...the original cost me 185 pounds, the replacement is 600 pounds!!!


















Should arrive in January.




I have had serious delays which have actually worked in my favour....

The methods I will be using have actually morphed much closer to the real Spitfire building methods. Accordingly I've been madly making wooden router patterns, swage dies and had a friend adjust a small GA to a full size drawing of Frame 8 to copy and use as a paper pattern for everything.



Also, one purchase.



One new "Donation" from Richard at Airtech (who I am helping with his latest project..but much more of that later, I suspect!)

Late Spitfire I Panel :



A couple of changes will be necessary to revert it to early but MUCH easier than chain drilling one or getting drawings set up in DX files for Chris to laser cut a stainless one!

And, last but not least, a purchase from "Replica Aircraft Parts"

BFP



I felt I needed to pay for something..as they have made further donations of a Parking Brake Clip Bolt, an Undercarriage Down Circuit Switch (for the side of the throttle) and an Aluminium Gun Button Ring (correct for the Spit I) .

If anyone is interested I'll keep this updated..


Darryl

Darryl , that is seriously Gorgeous! Phwey! , Be able to blame Ian W (the quiet one) , that is a serious piece of of work, a real masterpiece!

Updates for sure!

Superb!!!

maybe this needs to go on a 'stickie' in the Cockpit building section - I can see myself going back a lot more than once or twice

cheers
Craig

Thanks Ian and Craig!!

Craig, I did look for a Cockpit Builders thread but couldn't find it (not my fault, I was beaten as a child. )

I'm happy to keep the thread updated. I am in the process of rebuilding the whole sim, forsaking the wooden frame for
a fairly accurately constructed Aluminium one. Currently most of the way through the design and pattern work for Frame 8 (otherwise known as "that frame below the instrument panel")

Darryl , One hell of a introduction to a Spitfire cockpit , this is the area if I had from would really like to simply build to these specific, least to the detail created here , simply a work of art, with the A2A Spit, that must be one hell of a ride !

Cheers Ian...


It is a hell of a ride, yes. And will do until I get my real Spitfire flight (more to follow over the months on that!)

The next stage will be organising Instrument Panel details once that arrives..in between Frame building:

Looking Forward to see the further result and detail , at a later stage be great to see a shoulder mounted video .. that would get many and ling !

A nice morning's work....

The Kygas Primer had the later label on it and the knurling was very worn (almost smooth). So half an hour with the lathe and then a couple of coats of brass clear protectant...

: Old




Refurbished







Very pleased with the way it has come up.

And in P9374:




And the first Former being lined up to pattern (If I have told my assistant once, I've told him a MILLION times..NO Japanese Workboots in the workshop...I will have stern words .. because - I - am all about the safety!!)




The more keen eyed may spot that the Rivet Count is slightly out for a Spitfire I, as is the top of the Frame where it runs up the sides of the main Panel. Both will be corrected in the wooden Former but the GA I have was better quality for the Mk IX than the "One" and thus easier/clearer to blow up to 1:1 Scale.

And finally a selection of swages/flange dies made for the Spitfire.

Nothing like a little machining , I recon I could use a bench lathe for better purposes at home here, forget the industrial JIBBER JIBBER , maybe get back into model build .. a cockpit maybe a little to big for my place at the mo.

Ian Warren wrote:Nothing like a little machining , I recon I could use a bench lathe for better purposes at home here, forget the industrial JIBBER JIBBER , maybe get back into model build .. a cockpit maybe a little to big for my place at the mo.

Yeah, just a tad....

One word ... amazing!

emfrat wrote:

Ian Warren wrote:Nothing like a little machining , I recon I could use a bench lathe for better purposes at home here, forget the industrial JIBBER JIBBER , maybe get back into model build .. a cockpit maybe a little to big for my place at the mo.

Yeah, just a tad....

You never know .. my creative side can really create places .. maybe a Messerschmidt cockpit to match Darryl's handy work

Splitpin wrote:One word ... amazing!

It is pretty Dang impressive, I was thinking were is the keyboard .. simply just to pause

Hi guys

Thanks for all the comments. A long day here finishing with making the former for the two main spars..will have a go at that nightmare job tomorrow if I feel up to it. They are just under 6 feet long each with a one and a half inch x one and a half inch spar u channel with a 4/5 inch flange each side for rivetting the skin to. think of a u shape with two wings coming off the top of the U...of course the u isn't a perfect U shape either...it has to be bent to an offset of about 10 degrees leaning top "forward" so that the tops of the spar are slightly closer than the bottoms when mounted. As said..not a nice job and lots of material at risk.


Oh well!

Oh. Keyboard? There is a small wifi mini keyboard that I keep beside the sim and that will slip in the map box when finished...of course it is always possible to use a "dead" switch in the sim as the pause button too.

I'm speechless. What an incredible achievement!!

K5054NZ wrote:I'm speechless. What an incredible achievement!!

Next project I heard Darryl was working on is a Fletcher Cockpit (Cough, Bull Plucky)

Thanks K5054NZ (why is it I feel I've seen that number before ?? )

Ian..I sense an "in joke"

Darryl , Zac AKA 'K5054NZ' stopped here quite a few years back with Nick AKA 'Choppernut' , later of course mentioned he had a FU-24 fuselage... me then adding, stirring the pot and the fact that should be put on a car chassis and drive around Hawera as his chick magnet .. I was not joking or was I,

Ian, K5054 was the serial of the prototype Spitfire.... so in-gags all around!

KR I was going to lower the number to 53 .. just to create a gap