Help Wanted to Identify Spade Grip

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 93

Gentlemen. I recently acquired this at auction, some of you may have seen it but does anyone know what it's from? Clearly it has never been fitted with a gun firing button.

The stampings appear to read CH179 and B7074

Best regards,

Simon

Attachments
Original post

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

it is very like my Barracuda column. It look like an AH800. Glad someone got it!

Member for

11 years 8 months

Posts: 202

I think Battle's were fitted with that sort of grip too.

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 93

I think Battle's were fitted with that sort of grip too.

Many thanks gentlemen, I appreciate your input.

I can't find anything to suggest AH800 which is what I find odd. It really would appear to be CH179.

Best regards,

Simon

Member for

17 years 7 months

Posts: 318

I think Battle's were fitted with that sort of grip too.

Not Battle , the battle used AH2040 and in the rear cockpit on dual control version there is no provision for brake lever on the grip.

cheers dave

Member for

13 years 1 month

Posts: 524

Looking at the original pictures of the column, it strikes me that the brake lever seems to be more suited to a 'left hand' use. That in itself is unusual, n'est pas?

GYD

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

The interesting thing is the CH number where normally an AH number would be. I’m thinking a Dunlop grip intended for a Foreign Air arm

Member for

14 years 2 months

Posts: 93

Very interesting about the left hand brake lever, a good spot. So perhaps something with the throttle lever(s) or a throttle quadrant on the right ? AND no gun button.

Thanks for you input so far gentlemen

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

The column has a large number of DH De Havilland inspector stamps. There are also stamps starting 79. The addition of a brake lever suggests an upgrade

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

I’m wondering if it is from a DH93 Don that was a side by side configuration aircraft.

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

Does anyone have a photo of a DH93 Don Cockpit please? My theory.....the throttles in the middle would have the instructor in the LHS with his right hand on the throttle and left hand on the grip, hence reversed brake lever. The student would have conventionally configured throttle and grip
nope not that one! It had a R22 type column that could be used by either sear......grrr! So need to find aircraft that De Havilland made under licence or made parts for

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

Highly likely no one is interested in this thread now, but I have completed identification of the column and the grip. As I suspected, it is from the extinct DH93 Don aircraft. It was a side by side cockpit. The brake lever being operable by the left hand (unique in the Dunlop spade grip world) is down to the throttle being on the right for the LH pilot (instructor side) and conventional on RH student side. The proof in the pudding as they say is the plethora of De Havilland stamps and the number 793 starting each part number. For example, 793077. For a DH aircraft of that era, the first digit denotes the system, the next are the model number. So in this case, the 7 denotes fly8ng controls and the 93 denotes the model number which is the Don. If any modeller stumbles on this, the control column has black satin over the original cockpit green.

Member for

16 years 5 months

Posts: 5,999

Good detective work, Rocketeer.

Member for

16 years 10 months

Posts: 2,004

Excellent result, I had to google the type. Certainly an interesting aircraft.

Member for

19 years 2 months

Posts: 5,196

Embarrassingly, I had never heard of it, but it was a pretty aircraft. Quite futuristic for the time