Your Favourite Control Column Stick/Yoke/Grip!

Many thanks Martyn, good info. It’s interesting, I bought it from a guy who has been very reliable in his identifications when I’ve dealt with him, and there was usually a story to go with the way they came to him. But it’s clearly not a A-1!

Has everyone moved on from this thread? Feels like there are fewer and fewer things available, perhaps I’m not looking in the right places!

Cheers,
Phil

Hi Phil,

I put a post on your other thread ‘American stick grips’ 

GYD

Hi All,

Sorry to resurrect an old thread for such a vanilla grip, but this seemed the best option – I’m trying to ID a stick grip, as shown in the photos below. It’s clearly an NAF 1173-1, and it has the etched ID of BAC-S30V-4. The ID doesn’t bring anything up on google except a reference to a NAF 1173-3. On the side of the grip you can just make out ‘NAF‘, but nothing more…

It was sold to me a number of years ago as a A-1 Skyraider, but I can’t find any cockpit photos which have a -1 stick, they all seem to be -3, but it seems difficult to find AD-2 / AD-3 images.

Do anyone have any clues?

Cheers,

Phil

Colleagues, if any of you are interested in this control wheel, then write me a private message.

Cheers for that flatter99, interesting story!

GYD

Gin Ye Daur, good afternoon. There is a story. There was another Tu-154, which was prepared as a gift for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. But Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in the USSR and the gift was canceled. This is the control wheel from the canceled gift. I bought it in 2014 and completely restored it. My collection is no longer there. Now I sometimes buy control wheels to restore and sell.

Nice one flatter99, good to see you back!

Any history with your latest post?

GYD

Hello colleagues. Two years passed and I appeared here again. Maybe someone will find this interesting.

Air Ministry,

Thank you for the information regarding grip AH8453. As always your help is very much appreciated. 

Cheers

No worries, AM. Yes, I can see what you mean about the lack of bend and “flatter” appearance. Intriguing!

Hi Mm,

Apologies for the delay in responding.

Yes, for a while I thought an Armstrong-Whitworth type might be the answer but if you compare the two types there are several differences.  In particular, the A-W type has a deeper dish than my specimen.  This holds true for the Sunderland/Stirling wheels too, the “spokes” have a pronounced bend which is missing from this type.

Possibly from an Armstrong Whitworth type? Looks similar to Ensign and if I remember correctly the Atlanta was the same style. It looks like they also used much the same shape yoke in the Whitley and Albemarle

Walrus wheel

Here’s an example of a Gannet grip fitted with the correct “Stores Release” button.  This one is to drawing AH9804.

Hi AM,

Nice to see you back!  

On looking at the small picture of the wheel, I instantly thought of Walrus/Sea Otter; as it bears an uncanny resemblance (from memory) of the ‘cut away’ Walrus in the museum at Yeovilton.  Then I opened each picture in full to see the brochure picture mention sea planes, spooky!

GYD

While I’m logged in I thought I might as well share this.

The wheel has been in the collection for many years, with no clues as to its identity apart from a tiny stamp saying “Non Flam”.  This turns out to have been a Trade Name for the Doverite covering applied to steering wheels produced by Dover Ltd. of Northampton for the early motor industry.

They obviously branched out into other types of wheel and sundry items and this catalogue popped up on Ebay recently, illustrating the exact wheel design.

I’m still no nearer to pinning it down to a particular aircraft type unfortunately!

Hi Brightspark180,

I agree with GYD in that I have an entry against AH8453 on my “master reference list” with the comment “unidentified – on ebay – is the gun button the correct type?”. 

My tuppence worth:-  Off the top of my head, the only British types I associate with that style of grip (i.e. no brake lever)  are Pioneer and early Gannet.  The Pioneer had no use for a gun button.  This leaves the Gannet as a possibility as it used a similar style of button but of a version configured for Stores Release rather than Gun Firing.   The fact that there is no wiring to your button leads me to suggest it is a substitute.  So, I think  you may have a mis-match of parts, cobbled together to make something suitable for display, possibly based on an early Gannet grip and a “fighter” style button.

It’s a nice piece to have in a collection anyway!

p.s. last minute thought…what type of grip did the Fairey Spearfish use?  anyone got a cockpit photo?

Hi GYD, It was indeed from a recent auction on Saleroom. I have failed to get any positive ID regarding which aircraft it may have been used in. I was hoping that Air Ministry would see the post. It is a real shame that very few use this forum these days, I always enjoy seeing what is about and gaining knowledge. 

Thanks for you input, as always your assistance is very much appreciated. 

Hi Brightspark180,

Nice to hear from you again and a lovely addition to the collection.

I have seen this one before, was it not on an auction site (not e-vilBay), not long ago?  The last time it came about no one could identify a specific type use.  It’s an odd one.  It doesn’t have a brake lever mount, so foot brakes fitted? Old wartime style crinkly pre vulcanite non-slip handle coating, doesn’t point to anything I have seen.  The number is higher numerically than the ‘standard’ AH8400 fitted to the early jets so, possibly later?  The only other thing we could think of was perhaps, an experimental type?  

We wondered if the great Air Ministry of this parish my be of help – if he still lurks these murky forgotten pages? 

Yours Aye,

GYD

Latest addition to grip collection AH8453. Any indication which aircraft it was used on would be much appreciated.