Stirling Project Update

Read the forum code of contact

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 245

Some interesting (expensive) original Press, large Short Stirling images including internal shots, some unusual angles.... pipes, wiring, levers, tubes, wheels, gauges EVERYWHERE!

VERY expensive!

Seller. 'bookmarque'

Link to one image. 193425129090.

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

Thanks for that

We recently bought an image from him of a cockpit view that we hadn't seen previously

cheers

John

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

Hi all

Yesterday was a day of progress with a minor setback.

Graham has been beavering away with the Flying control assy under the pilots seat, with the purchase of an appropraite taper reamer we was able to ream the attachment pins retaining the lever arms to the torque tube and to start setting them up in relation to each other. This was going swimmingly until we compared it to the GA that Graham had prepared; it became obvious that the 2 inner bellcranks seemed way too long. Considering we'd had them laser cut from CAD this seemed unlikely, but as it turns that after reference to an original bellcrank half each lever was indeed over 2" longer than it should have been, who'd have thought. Oh well better to be too long than too short, so it'll be out with the hacksaw, dreadnaught file and drill to adjust them to the correct length. Annoying but not insurmountable.

On the other hand, Cliff has nealy finished fettling the Bomb Release Tee Handle and this should be installed on the Instrument Panel soon; no pics at present but plenty will be taken in situ.

I've made a start on fabricating the Aileron pulleys that sit under the 1st Pilots seat, I've attached a photo showing the original items and one showing the blanks that I'll be working on. There are 2 LH and 2 RH with only 3 having been recovered but they are mirrored so are ok to reproduce. Thankfully one was not as badly damaged so we could use it as a pattern. To complete the assy, I need to make 2 bridging pieces to attach the LH and RH pulleys together and one reinforcing bracket, I was able to recover one and straighten it out sufficiently that it can be re-used 😁.

This week, we're having a visit from a former Stirling Flight Engineer who was badly burnt when his aircraft crashed on landing, hopefully the dreaded lurgy won't intervene and it will all go off ok.

Lastly, we bought a piece of tooling that will be used on the jig and fuselage installation, it has aviation use history and I'll post some pics on here and will have a test to see who can spot the aviation connection first😉

as always, take care

John

Attachments

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 1,911

Always pleased to see an update on here John!

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

A bonus update today😁

We'd planned to be at Alconbury as we had been expecting a visit from an ex Flight Engineer but with the current nastiness, it was felt better to postpone.

So Graham and I felt that we would put our freedom to some good and we cracked on with 'stuff'. Graham, made short work of correcting the incorrect flying control bellcranks and these are now the correct length.

I carried on with the Aileron Pulley mount brackets and trimmed the ends to shape added some rivet holes and formed the flanged lightening holes. The photo shows them bare but these have now been primed ready for Saturdays endeavours. I've also been able to recover one of the stiffening brackets that are fitted on the outboard brackets, this will be re-used and also used as a pattern for the missing one.

Lastly, I promised last week that we are getting a piece of equipment that will be used in levelling that jig and airframe structure. No prizes for guessing that it's a Clinometer but can you spot the aviation connection?? 

take care

John

Attachments

Member for

4 years 5 months

Posts: 716

super update, thank you John

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

2 updates in a week; you lucky people😁, and there's a possibility of a 3rd so watch this space😉.

Amother busy day yesterday, Cliff has progressed the Bomb Release Tee Handle to the point where it's been slaved into position on the Instrument Panel. To all intents and purposes this is the last component to be fitted to the panel other than the sloping panels at it's base. The handle just needs priming and final painting now..

Graham, is beavering away with the flying control assy, the levers have now been shortened and the reinforcing pates at their end have been riveted on. This should start coming together over the next few weeks.

The Aileron Pully bracket assy is nearing completion; the side plates are finished and the first bridging piece to attach the 2 pully sub-assemblies together has been riveted on, a further, longer bridging piece will be made next weekend and structurally wise this should be complete. some attachment blocks need making and the pulley guards but that's pretty much it. The only fly in the ointment is the pulleys themselves; at first I though they were AS104s but having looked at photosthey're too small, AS105s might fit the bill but the inner spindle width is too big as is the bore. Looking at the Vol 3 they are an off the shelf Skefco part, so I've contacted them to see if they're still available or if they can send me the spec to see if I can source something similar. Fingers crossed.

If no-one has guessed the Clinometer quiz by next week I'll spill the answer, but hopefully a reader will have a guess.

Finally, we have been doing some good swapping business this weekend; this will form the basis of the 3rd update hopefully.

John

Attachments

Member for

11 years 3 months

Posts: 1,299

Well done on your progress. Fantastic work! 

Was the Clinometer used at the Tri-national Tornado Training Establishment? I notice TTTE etched into it.

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

And MM has it. first thing I noticed when I saw it on a well known online auction site. Yes, the Clino has previously seen service on Tornado; Cliff was on TTTE back in the day but being a Sootie would never have gone near anything so technical 😆

take care

John

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

As promised a final update for the weekend. A busy weekends research and swapping trip to visit fellow forumite Hindenburg has led to a cache of useful parts for the project.

These are:

pilots' head armour

Front Turret recuperator parts

Front turret hydraulic filter

front turret hydraulic tank

Junction Box JB.A (stbd side of cockpit fwd of instrument panel)

Junction Box JB.1 (stbd side of cockpit by 2nd Pilots seat

 

Attachments

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

Thanks Tom

we have got a pair but this one looks to be in better nick than one of ours. Will need to see which side it is

thanks for thinking of us

John

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

Evening all, probably the last update for at least a month due to tonights annoucements on lockdowns.

Nonetheless, even with only myself and Graham at the workshop today we got some meaningful work done. Graham, has taper reamed the remaining securing holes for the underseat flying control assembly and has started priming and painting the various parts.

I've gone as far as I can with the aileron pulley assy, the final 'bridging' piece has been made and riveted together. I've ordered some material for the 4 off blocks that are the mounts where it attaches to the main cockpit structure and am investigating some larger pulleys that the AS104s that are temporarily fitted. Logic would dictate that they should be AS105s but the spec makes the centre spindle 1/8" too wide and the bore 1/8" too big. Both can be rectified by taking 1/16" of each side of the spindle and a sleeve needs manufacturing that is 0.5" o/d and 0.375" I/d. On that point does anyone have a quantity of AS105s going cheap as we'll need a number of them? Once the pulleys are sourced and fitted I can work out the specification of the cable guards. One of the photos shows the before and after, and it's surprising that we managed to salvage any parts or dimension from them!

Despite my aversion to all things landing gear, the tail leg for sale pointed out by Tom 2 posts previously proved too much of a temptation as it's the correct handed one to replace our severely corroded example, this has now been bought and awaits an opportunity to go and collect it. It's always been on our radar to restore both tail legs and display them so this might now be a realistic option.

Lastly a correction, I've misinformed the readership that Cliff was on TTTE when in fact he was on TWCU; a fact that he vehemently pointed out LOL. Still they're only Tonkas not real aircraft like Jags...

Take care in these difficult times

John

Attachments

Member for

4 years 5 months

Posts: 716

Another fine update John.

Another fine piece of work completed.

Another fine mess we're in

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

Another bonus midweek update; this time courtesy of Cliff who made the trip from Norwich to check on the workshop and finish up a few things prior to our enforced absence.

I'd hoped to be able to paint the Bomb Release Tee Handle assy at the weekend but ran out of time so Cliff has finished off his pet project and in the process has added a touch of colour to an otherwise red panel. The handle itself is NOS but the mounting bracket is reproduced courtesy of information supplied by long term Project friend and forumite Paul Cunningham (cockpit collector in Oz).

This is the final part that completes the main panel apart from the mounts for the sloping panels and Oxy Regulator in front of the Pilots. To mount those we'll probably need to devise a new way of mounting the panel.

I shall be giving the workshop a miss for the time being as I'm in the highly vulnerable group so this will be the last update until at least early December

 

 

Attachments

Member for

16 years 11 months

Posts: 1,951

Hi all

hoping this works as we seem to have some limited functionality back.

Now that we're back in train, we've installed the flying control assembly to the underside of the 1st pilots seat rail, this is just awaiting the drilling of the 1/16" split pin holes in the attachment bolts (fun job...not!). Graham is finishing off the elevator control rod and then that whole assembly will be complete.

20201205 135209

20201205 135155

The aileron pulley assembly is all but finished and just needs new pulleys which we're having to get made as they're a non-standard size.

20201121 131625

and finally, whilst in lockdown I refurbished the major Junction Boxes we'll need (JB.1, JB.A, JB.C, JB.D and JB.E), still on the look out for JB.2 and JB.23 plus sundry smaller ones. Picture shows JB.A before and after (latter still needs socket idents applying)

IMG-20201025-WA001620201109 203043

take care

John

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 7,025

That really is a work of art and love , well done.

Member for

4 years 5 months

Posts: 716

Super update John, and good you are able now to post the images, I am sure it was a finger trouble issue at KEY