Stirling panel?

This was given to me by a friend a few years ago. I was told it came from a Short Stirling with the squadron codes
A o AA, I don’t know the serial. The aircraft ditched off the dutch coast and was visible for a long time in which it was ravaged by souvenir-hunters. I once had a cutaway-view of the Stirling in which a panel just like this could be seen on the fuselage floor behind the bomb-bay. It seems this panel is one half of a door to some sort of hatch or locker in the floor of the fuselage. I don’t have the cutaway anymore and a while ago I also sold the panel on Ebay. It went to Holland so I won’t be surprised to find the buyer on this forum. Perhaps someone can shed some light on what this really is?

Many thanks in advance.

Pete

Definitley stirling i have one that i picked up from a site in Exton

Thanks John. I very much appreciate your help so I can finish this project.
Rijnko

I have completed the 3 subpanels, the compassholder and the two sideboards with oxygensupply-gauge last week and will fix them together with the mainpanel next week. Then I still have to make the decals. Do one of you perhaps know an address were I can get those? After it is completed I’ll make photo’s and post them right away.
Rijnko

Hi Rijnko

If you send a Private Message to Hindenburg, he has the details of a UK company that made up some labels for his panel, they look pretty convincing. We used a slightly different approach to ours (Negative printed onto white decal sheet), unfortunately I haven’t got the original files. If you need any other help/advice please feel free to ask

John

Had a closer look at the Stirling project- and the Hindenburg Stirling-instrument panels.
Great panels ! Mine is somewhat different. It is like the one on page 153 in the book Pictorial History of the RAF, Volume two 1939-1945 by John W.R.Taylor & Philip J.R.Moyes.

Rijnko

I have completed the 3 subpanels, the compassholder and the two sideboards with oxygensupply-gauge last week and will fix them together with the mainpanel next week. Then I still have to make the decals. Do one of you perhaps know an address were I can get those? After it is completed I’ll make photo’s and post them right away.
Rijnko

It has a nice place next to my Stirling replica instrument panel as a real memorial of the great plane the Stirling was and its part in the liberation of our country.

Rijnko

Would also like to see a picture, a nice comparison can be made between ours (Stirling Project) and Hindenburgs. I’ve never see 2 panels alike so I’m keen to see the differences:)

John

Hello Rijnko, I’m sure I’m not the only one who would like to see a picture of your replica panel. Would you post a photo?

Stirling panel

Visited the Aviation forum again after a long time and found this thread.
I am the one who bought this panel on Ebay. I have found more numbers on it: SU 6758 and 1295660. I don’t think it is the hatch on Peter’s drawing. It is obviously a part of a two-door hatch on the outside, but where on the plane ?
Perhaps Cees can tell that as he recognised the panel from the similar one from BK 620 which he has in storage ?
The panel is in quite a good shape and I enjoy it very much. It has a nice place next to my Stirling replica instrument panel as a real memorial of the great plane the Stirling was and its part in the liberation of our country.

Rijnko

Definately Stirling, we have a similar panel from BK620 in storage, as well as the joining plates on the stringer junctions are also a give away.

Hindenburg,

Excellent work on the rudder pedals

cheers

cees

Peter

I certainly looks stirling, but are there any part numbers or other stamps?

Cheers

I’m afraid not, the only number or stamp I found is the one in the picture. I have highlighted in yellow which I think might be the piece. If you check the hatch cover in the drawing you will see there are hinges on both sides. Perhaps the cover was closed with two doors and I had the left one. There is a camfer on both sides and also the hinges on the panel are correct.

The trouble is: there isn’t a centerline shown in the drawing where the two doors meet when closed. I also think that the black paint might be some kind of non-slip walkway paint. I doubt that this is an external panel.

Peter

Peter

I certainly looks stirling, but are there any part numbers or other stamps?

Cheers

Could the interior face be painted with non slip walkway paint? That’s usually black.

I Think you maybe right Pete,internal stuff isn`t generally black in the stirling,normally silver or green.

The chamfer is on the other corner.
Also, would a floor panel necessarily have rivets like that? It looks like an external skin to me?

Pete