As I bored you all with before, I have original woodwork from 865 with traces of the blue on it. Maybe it is just me, but it is a tad darker than the profile pix Albert has posted. The woodwork was at CockpitFest last year and I will take some (tho’ off the cockpit) this year if anyone wishes to see it.

I have a Corgi model and am well happy…..I have ordered the AB910 model an am sure I will be happy with that too!!!

Tempest!!!! Horror at location!

Nice memory AF

Thanx Mark…fantastic aircraft and footage. I was lucky to fly the 2000….360 deg/sec roll rate…banged my head twice once on entry and once on recovery!!

Any thoughts about how those people with aircraft instruments in a cockpit, a panel or just in boxes can get them checked out?

A local school or university may be able to let you borrow a counter. However, just ‘cos it makes lots of clicking noises does not necessarily make it ‘bad’. Need to convert it to microsieverts etc. Like all such things, it needs knowledge to assess the readings.

A rule of thumb tends to be that UK post 1952 made instruments are generally ok (but like all things there are exceptions so do not take my word for it)….however, there are some G4’s that have a bit of dodgy radium on an exposed button. Unfortunately the one on my Hunter did (it cost me £50) and has now been removed and disposed of through proper channels. Also the ASI on my Pucara was well dodgy (that too has gone). In a JP there are one or two places in the cockpit. As Dave pointed out some engines (notably Viper and some Avons) have thorium in them. Also, some microscopes have thoriated lenses…….

here’s the rub…..some gauges with decent glass and paint in good condition….do not radiate (or do not appear to) above background. This is either because they are not luminous, or the glass is stopping it well or the paint is not too thick (or a combination of these). Many WW2 German gauges are like this. I suppose if you take the glass out (DO NOT DO THAT!) they would/may register more…but that is daft….leave well alone. Similarly some UK gauges of WW2 are not luminous (i.e. no radium paint). Gauges that are luminous tend to have a * next to the serial or Mk (for instance ASIs are typically a Mk IX……so if it is Mk IXe* it will be luminous. Thoriated lenses are a pain because they are only a problem if broken or damaged (I believe….that is not my area of expertise).

It is a big subject…..I am not a world expert on it. All I would say is Please do not tinker/remove glasses off gauges and steer clear of any that are like this. Similarly, it is silly to try and prove a gauge is dodgy by doing that. Also we do not want to see people getting scared and disposing of instruments in a foolhardy and environmentally bad way.

As I said earlier, individuals do not have all the regs applied to them (yet), but being aware of them and knowing the facts is a very good idea. If you are worried, chat to your nearest aviation museum. As a child I used to take glass off and blow the dust…..I shudder about that now….heaven knows what may lurk in my future. 🙁

The instruments were not in the nose section and were not on display, because they were so hazardous. The aircraft was a British WW2 aircraft on loan from another museum, so I don’t have a lot of details about it. The item was loaned, and then returned, before I started and the instruments stored and returned separately. Whether they were originally fitted to the nose section when it arrived, I do not know.

Whilst I agree with most of what you say on this matter, those instruments must have been particularly bad!! That said, concentrating them does have more than a simple cumulative affect. Even so, the precautions taken, should have, in my opinion, rendered them below limits quite nicely.

The worst instruments are WW1 German.