Spitfire IX circa 1943

[graemesmith]

Hello all,

Located in USA and working on a Spitfire Mk IX circa 1943 using all original instruments - serviced to work. Running off vacuum line, air pressure and 12v.

Total scope will be front of cockpit door to front of Frame 8 from about 10 inches below the main intercostal up to rear view mirror. Switches may operate items to side like Nav lights, identification lights, gun camera which I have and would be nice to illustrate function.

To date I have main panel and blind flying 6 complete and the only repro instrument is the trim dial. All others are original, correct serial/date and working. Mk II Gunsight by Barr and Stroud from my native Glasgow illuminates the bulletproof windshield I found and I have most of the framing for the rest of the plexi.

Expect to Fabricate - Frame 8, intercostals and skin and plexi from scratch.

[Westozy]

Welcome to MyCockpit.org Graeme, you will probably have seen Darryl's fantastic Spitfire on our pages and it will be great to see another one! I absolutely love the Spitfire and I feel quite fortunate to be involved making parts for Darryl, his sim is not far away from being 'fired up' and I can't wait to have a ride in it!
Cheers and good luck with your project!
Gwyn Perrett
www.aerosimsolutions.com.au

[graemesmith]

Gwyn,

Yep - I found the forum while hunting for parts and Daryll's pit is VERY interesting. We are taking different approaches - which is absolutely NOT to knock his in anyway. In fact I'm quite intrigued by what he is doing.

At the end of the day - I'm not planning on flying mine on a computer and I don't have space to get back to the seat - hence the "scope" - I have set myself. It will be a display piece with some working elements.

Servicing the original instruments to at least functionality - if not 100% calibration - is fascinating and a reminder of my electro-mechanical childhood when no one had heard of integrated chips! I'm telling you - when you get a vacuum line connected to the blind flying 6 and the Horizon, Gyro and Turn and Slip actually spin up and start functioning, the altimeter drifts with changes in atmospheric pressure and the airspeed responds to a venturi I have to the side - it is quite the experience - in no way related to the modern "glass cockpit".

I have various parts on display pending their final integration - I'll pull some pictures together and post them.