Sea King acquisition

She looked a bit different back in September last year. Note the scars of her deck incident. The history of ZG875 (and a photo of her in service) is in our book (see below). Can you tell me when you got the nose and where from? I wonder what happened to the rest?
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Check you PM’s ref 748 bits please.

Cheers for that WB556. I saw that item on their stall at Shoreham and rejected it as too expensive. They also had the bare main panel too at £300.

I have both still fitted in my cockpit so don’t need them – at least, not at that price.

Thanks anyway,

Anon.

Heads up – eBay item 261466876446

Knew you’d be along shortly, Ian! I know you have a bit of a soft spot for helicopters. That pic is great, I can see straight away that I need a 140kt ASI. I’ve seen those horizons a few times over recent years – I bet that now I want two I won’t be able to find any:(

Glad to hear that visitor numbers continue to rise at our favourite museum, Twin Otter. It probably won’t be complete but the Sea King will almost certainly be heading across to Fest next year.

Richard, I’ve sent you a PM.

Thanks All,

Anon.

What a splendid project! Just enough to sit in, all the big stuff intact and most of the glazing to keep out the wet. My first Seaking experience was also the Airfix kit, a tag team build with my mum. The thread was quickly tangled on the rotor/winch arrangement left the poor astronaut dangling. The Polish ebay seller is probably your best bet for the collective, and no customs being EU. I’ve got a spare cyclic if you have anything sticky to swap and a not quite correct hover meter. This pic isn’t much use for identifying bits but does look good!
Helicopter dials do seem a challenge. I’m after a VSI for my Lynx panel and have seen more Spit trim indicators and flap levers turn up. Even the helicopter museum didn’t have a spare (although they do have a good stock of instruments) I gave up and made one of the switches.

If Anon doesn’t need them, how much for the left hand seat one?

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The Seat Harness sets for a Sea King that i have avaliable

Sorry if I’m slacking Anon; although that will no doubt please some about these parts. Lots of effort going into event promotion elsewhere and if the visitor figures continue as they are doing at present (best visitor numbers from January through to April for the last 15 years) then everything bodes well for June 14th & 15th! 🙂

I suspected that you might have a new item on the ’flight-deck’ front after Pully’s post the other week; and it will be more than welcome whenever it makes an appearance!!

Thanks for the good wishes and offers of help for some of the parts from those who have posted here. I shall be across to look at your machine, seaking677, when I get the chance. Most helicopters are smaller than you think but the Sea King is one of the exceptions – it’s huge!

Tony, the only Lynx I know of were the Air & Ground ones last November. I haven’t heard of them being sold on from their buyers but there were plenty of airframes available. I’m glad you like the Sea King. It’s been on my wanted list for years as one of those iconic aircraft I used to see on TV in the seventies as a lad. Of course, the Apollo missions returning to splashdown and the crews being rescued by Sea King played a big part in developing my affection for the type. I don’t have the hands-on experience like yourself.

I’m surprised Twin Otter hasn’t been on yet asking if it will be at Fest this year. Anyway, it won’t, though perhaps next year when it is on a stand and has been tidied up a bit.

Anon.

if anyone knows of a spare SK, Lynx or Guzzle cockpit or Chinook!….i would be delighted!!!

Instruments are hard to come by at the mo, they go back in to fleet stores for spares but it shouldn’t be too long before they start to appear, it just depends on the price firms are wanting for them.

All the very best with the project.

Regards
Nigel (owner Sea King HAS.6 XV677)

I might still have a rotor brake for a Seaking, I’ll have a look over the weekend.

along with the RH collective and stick top.

Can you post a clear image of said collective as we still have one or two helicopter related bits and there may be a match among them?

It is always a surprise to me what is to be had, even though in current use. I’ve had some very pleasant surprises with stuff which is included in job lot’s and which can also have serviceable paperwork attached, mainly because the disposer didn’t know what he/they had or what it fitted.

I’ll fit stuff just to fill the gaps then refine that down as the correct parts come along. I’ve always maintained that the average punter would rather see something in there not knowing if it is the correct part or not than having great yawning gaps, which look unsightly.

There is quite a bit of Sea King stuff about, however, I recently discovered that there is a wide variety of different instrument fits but, anything to fill the gaps for now will do until the right part(s) appear.

Anon.

It is true with the more modern types that instruments etc are hard to find, because unserviceable ones are sent for repair. I remember when the Buccaneers were scrapped some of the cockpits had gaps that were very hard to fill because the instruments were being used in other aircraft. Though i don’t think speaking generally there is a lot of crossover of military instruments particularly from fast jets, being used in the commercial sector.

It is also more difficult these days as the disposal of MOD surplus seems a very unfathomable world and parts seem to go in the same few directions, years ago it was a process more open to smaller dealers. I am looking for instruments for my little project, some are about commercially and are sold labelled as rare collectables, some I have bought have unserviceable tags on them, one part I need is widely available on Ebay but I just will not pay the asking price, despite trying to bargain, so I look further afield, I have bought from the US, I have a package on the way as I type from Germany, which seems a shame when parts are here waiting to be bought.

But anyway that is an interesting project and yes a lot of holes to fill, sometimes though you can seem to make quick progress then hit a brick wall Sea Kings have been around a bit so I would think some of it wouldn’t be too bad to find.

Judging by what I read in Trade-A-Plane, even obsolete and un serviceable units go for a good deal of money.

That can be the problem, especially when a type is still in service or the item is common to several types, even as an unserviceable item it holds value as a core, when you have unserviceable instruments you return the unserviceable item which has a monetary value against the replacement overhauled or new item.. Therefore they retain a value as companies may pick them up cheap for use in acquiring a replacement spare instrument, at below the core value, but higher than most collectors would want to pay.. Most cores are then overhauled or used as spares to repair unserviceable items.

Nice! I love Seakings 🙂

Neat project!
A question for cockpit collectors…how do you find the instruments…I’d imagine they sell for a premium because they might still be in use in various types?
Or are there dealers who don’t try to take advantage of you…selling old items for what they’re really worth as opposed to their original price.
Judging by what I read in Trade-A-Plane, even obsolete and un serviceable units go for a good deal of money.

I am so jealous Mike! I have >100hrs in the wonder SK!