Beaufort / Beaufighter parts interchange

AM – thanks so much for that, I must get onto learning to use that system. I will get in touch with them asap 🙂

Yes there will be parts that are different, but many will be the same too – I have plenty of parts collected from here that are FB stamped. Even if it is just to simply correctly ID the part and take it from there, then that is one more piece in a rather large jigsaw. In the end it would be great to find the DAP schedule as well and compare the two, though that is a very elusive creature (currently suspected to be in deep storage at the RAAF, but no conclusive info as yet)

A quick search using the RAF Museum’s Navigator search engine…

Object Title: Beaufighter aircraft Marks I, II, VI: Schedule of spare parts

Object Description: 22 microfiche.

Production Date: March 1943

Content Note: One copy in DoRIS office.

Air Publication Number AP1721A AP1721B AP1721F

Subject Object Bristol Beaufighter Mk. IF, Bristol Beaufighter Mk. IC, Bristol Beaufighter Mk. II, Bristol Beaufighter Mk. IIF, Bristol Beaufighter Mk. VIC, Bristol Beaufighter Mk. VIF

Object Location (C=Cosford, H=Hendon, S=Stafford) H…

Object Number: M021300

Object Title
Beaufort I and II: Schedule of spare parts

Production Date: March 1942

Air Publication Number AP1580A & B

Subject Object: Bristol Beaufort Mk. I, Bristol Beaufort Mk. II

Object Location (C=Cosford, H=Hendon, S=Stafford) H…

Object Number: R024271

Should get you off to a good start?

(But won’t Australian made machines differ slightly from Uk manufactured ones?)

AP Manual

Further to previous posts, probably one of the most helpful things would be to get a hold of the AP1721 A, F, & J Volume 3 – everywhere that has the AP1721 listed is just for Volume 1 – Vol 3 is a Spare parts Schedule. Any pointers please drop me a line 🙂

I’ve always been led to believe the undercarriage legs were slightly different, just on the tops mainly ( nearly got caught out when collecting the legs as they were next to each other !)

There are also other obvious differences in relation to the engines etc – I recently acquired a number of cowl gills thinking they were the Beaufighter but when checking against a real aircraft it was clear they were Beaufort only. Same for the hand pump 🙂 Oh well, at least I have collected them regardless ..

In a perfect world it would be great to be able to have the parts lists side by side and do a comparison. Surely not all the parts books have been lost (they look so good with the leather strap and binding too) but I guess i have to be content with the knowledge at least that many parts were used on both aircraft

The Beaufighter was a fighter development of the Beaufort; to speed development (initially) a new fighter fuselage was flown on Beaufort wings. I’m sure it wasn’t quite that simple with different engines (undercarriage?) and a host of other modifications but I’m sure there would be many, many common components.

It also explains the rather odd name of the Beaufighter; a Beaufort ‘fighter’; what is the correct way to pronounce that? :confused:

Anyway I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.

And Blenheim ? Any parts interchangeable ?

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Brilliant – thanks a bunch for that, I can keep adding to my growing Beaufighter pile quite happily then 🙂

Hi Ewan

Yes, many parts were common. I have some beaufighter/ beaufort pullies from the cockpit – they were used in both.

Regards

Oh I see 😀 type in a word that has naughty connotations and it gets asterisked out :rolleyes: I’m sure you know what part I am referring to anyway !