Early Spit cockpit photo

Rocketeer,
thanks for your help.
You say the “semi-circular thing is am instrument”. Can you explain that? And what is an auto observer/where would it be in the cockpit?

Martin

that is a bucket seat. So would have taken a parachute (Ally seat). it would have had accurate flt test inst, such as a sensitive altimeter as well as an ASI (semi circular thing is am instrument). The highlighting on gauges may have been for a ground display. The other thing to remember is that this aircraft would have had some kind of auto observer (camera/wet film) for instruments they were particuarly interested in.

Shameless bump, gents, but I am making a model of the very earliest form of K5054 and this picture is all I have, but I need some explanations of what’s what.
What’s the black thing where the gun sight would be at the top? What’s the angled white thing on the left?
What’s the semi-circular thing on the left in front of the door frame?
It doesn’t seem to have the rectangular central panel that is a Spitfire familiar.

also….why the superimposed numbers on some of the gauges? and why the highlighting of bezels on numbers 7 and 8.

Finally, did this aircraft have some sort of seat cushion?

I’ve had no responses on the modelling forums, so this is my last request, before I start guessing and cutting aluminium.

Cheers,
Martin

Thanks for that Mark. K5054 does look very different with the compass where the BFP should be and odd spade grip. The photo was a Vickers print, stuck in a late Peter Fote book, but no more detail. Would still be nice to know which Mk1. On the earl Spit front, Do you have a decent picture of the UC indicator without the ‘pull down for night use’ blind? Have only seen a couple and can’t read the numbers.

K5054 cockpit layout. c1936/7

Mark

K5054 may have had several ‘cockpit fits’ over a period. I have seen, but cannot locate, a shot of the original fit and it was pretty spartan.

This to me seems to be a production or pre-production Mk I with a number experimental pieces installed. All the Mk I ‘trinkets’ are in place including the engraved outer instrument panel and placards. A spin through the initial build shows that most were used for trials of some sort or the other.

In my view almost certainly not K5054.

Mark

On a related theme, can anyone identify the serial ranges to which the pump-up undercarriage “handraulic” levers were fitted?

There is also a lot of stuff that K5054 may not have had – ID lamp switchbox, Connected gun buttons and trigger, some of the instruments.

However, I am usually wrong about these things, so will wait for Mark12 to pitch up.

Didn’t 5054 get fitted with guns?

I’m pretty sure that it is K5054 as their is some pretty none standard Spit Mk.I stuff in that cockpit.;)

Deduction. We can safely conclude it’s an early Spitfire being used for testing purposes with numerous non-standard fittings for test monitoring.

The structural differences to the standard Mk.I seem (even to me) to be numerous, implying it’s a non-standard ‘build’. There weren’t many of them, were there, so that gives us a shortlist. AFAIK there was the Speed Spitfire, K5054, and…? Not the Speed Spit from the windscreen.

(Was that control-lock a normal early Spitfire item, btw?)

Difficult to conclude it’s anything but 5054… Of course I’m probably wrong and have missed something major – that’s what happens when you play Sherlock.

Two of the guages are temp guages,one says engine trmp…But for what??Maybe to check out the temp guage instruments themselves???

There is also a lot of stuff that K5054 may not have had – ID lamp switchbox, Connected gun buttons and trigger, some of the instruments.

However, I am usually wrong about these things, so will wait for Mark12 to pitch up.

Bruce

I’m pretty sure that it is K5054 as their is some pretty none standard Spit Mk.I stuff in that cockpit.;)

I think K5054 had a different spade grip, with biplane type trigger? Your label should be screwed to nice bit of wood and put on display! Uploading has taken away a lot of the detail unfortunately.

Surely that’s got to be K5054? I have a Merlin 61 Max Operational Limitations plate in my office drawer and with your photo I just noticed where it goes.

John