Hi all,

Parting with a very nice original F111 stick, a USAF 1951 parachute complete with red white chute, an absolutely MINT BA22 USAF chute complete with all fittings and O2 bottle,used on B52, F5, F100 etc, etc, a MINT T33 Shooting Star Personal Survival Pack (PSP) with all fittings inc cushion and backrest (eject seat) by Rocket Jet engineering 1966,ex USAF, Belgian AF, and an F100, F86 psp (empty, but fine condition)
Drop me a line if anyone interested

Talking of repro versus genuine parts I attach photos of Flight Engineering’s continuing work on a well known Me109 salvaged from the Eastern front some years ago.
“Yellow 12 ” is the identity I think.
Peter Grieves is making his usual excellent job of it, and the skill needed to fabricate and blend in missing parts into the remaining fuselage is evident throughout the build.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]257079[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]257080[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]257081[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]257082[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]257083[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]257084[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]257085[/ATTACH]

Super collection! Is that a B45 yoke at top right or a Douglas or other type ?

Hi Tony, the easiest way to access a/c histories is to join the Skyhawk Assoc, and gain access to their online records where every a/c is listed.
Details of carrier deployments, accidents and combat damage is available.

Post war trials

Watched some film of the Project Ruby Anglo/American deep penetration trials after the war using the the Valentin U-Boat pens at Farge as a target. The Heligoland Bunkers were also involved in the trials.
The weapons dropped from up to high altitudes were inert on the Farge target due to proximity to population – other penetration bombs such as the Disney and Amazon were also tested.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_bomb#Post-war_development

https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1946/1946%20-%201045.html

Some of the damage caused on the Valentin bunker can be seen in drone footage of the bunker today…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=2yA0CbSCdNU

IIRC the post war trials involved USAF B29s each carrying 2 Grandslams to the Heligoland bunkers.

Like that Gabby! Almost artistic!

A little more progress on my A4C panel, thanks to the good offices of Flight Engineering’s Peter Grieves.

Using scaled up drawings from an old NATOPS manual, he has machined the armament panel from correct thickness aluminium sheet and it’s now ready for the PR indicator and switchgear that I already had.
Like most of us, I avoid repro parts wherever I can, but the chances of finding and retrieving a genuine A4C panel is pretty unlikely (the more common equivalent A4E panel is not the same, even if you can find it [ATTACH=CONFIG]252526[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]252526[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]252527[/ATTACH]), so this is probably the only alternative.

The next phase is making the appropriate light panel , with all it’s complex lettering etc ,which is now in the hands of this forum’s Ian Hodgkiss, so watch this space !
Have also discovered the USN history of the aircraft which the panel came from , and it’s service and subsequent damage incurred twice over Vietnam.

Meanwhile search for missing instruments continues……………..[ATTACH=CONFIG]252528[/ATTACH]

I have tried to start with a framework to set the panel at the right angle[ATTACH=CONFIG]252222[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]252223[/ATTACH]

That’s a bit of a kit Tony! The Forger stick is astonishing, Bas, although I can’t find a picture of anything similar either. Even ‘walkarounds’, usually a good source of photos, don’t get in the cockpits. Nice Lightning grip, Redhillwings. I only have an early F1 grip (Different trim switch and AP cut out to yours) , but without label so can’t add anything beyond it looking later than an F1.
You’ve done well with RAF transports/trainers, Swifter. The Varsity yoke always looks a lot more exciting than the rather portly aircraft it controls, with the suggestion of devastating firepower from it’s many buttons.
I’ve filled a gap in the collection with a ‘proper’ Corsair grip. It has the VS part number and truncated handle. Later versions reverted to the NAF type, but still a sawn off example.

Great Corsair grip Ian.
Looking at the TV news the other day, I saw a piece on Trident nuclear submarines. The missile firing grip looked identical to your Corsair example except it had a trigger guard added (just as well!!)
BTW, where did you get it from !! Not HM dockyard I hope !
Cheers……….John