HI

My vote is for the handles that secure the astro dome in place – or the alternative blank hatch. With no second handle this item must be used somewhere where only one side of the ‘door’ is expected to be used – so not an internal door. However, there were keys under small flaps next to some of the hatches so that rescuers could open the hatch from the outside following a crash. That used a square key I think and there is what looks like the receptacle for such a key on the side opposite the handle. There is also a tell-tale curve to the metal work, the handles were near a curved corner.

So a question – is there a link between what looks like the square key receptacle and the handle? If I am right there would have to be.

I think that I have modeled this outer lock on my 3D Stirling – of course this would have been from photos and I may not have had any idea what they were at the time as they would just look like ‘blobs’! It would be good to know.

Cheers

James

Hi All

Well here is that FN25 dustbin descending from the Stirling as I sort of promised 5 years ago. It hasn’t taken 5 years to do but Iife gets in the way! The guys at Hendon were great and I did get to measure up the Leigh Light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUBqaqqvk2o

Cheers

James

Hi Fid88

That’s right, he used my 3D model to print the parts. While the software I use is mainly for graphics, all of the animation maths is done by the software such that any size model should operate correctly. I do have  some models on here under jamesinnewcastl, sadly my old name victim of the ‘new’ improved web site!

James

Hi

There seems to be a lot of information on the internet about the undercarriage, for example:

https://www.historicflyingclothing.com/en-GB/ww2-raf-documents/handley-…

https://tailendcharlietedchurch.wordpress.com/halifax-bomber/landing-ge…

From a quick perusal it seems to me that the two angled struts are held locked by the ram putting tension in the ‘wires’ – bit like the way that we can lock our knees. If you stood and locked your knees and then secured a string from your foot to your thigh you would not be able to bend your leg. Try it! 🙂

Releasing the ram that is holding the wires in tension would allow the two struts to move and the other rams pull up the undercarriage.

Slightly dodgy arrangement though – losing the pressure in the rams on the ground would make the arrangement buckle easily if you moved the aircraft!

Not a brilliant explanation or necessarily correct, but I suspect it’s close!

Cheers

James