Shackleton Seating Question.

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Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

I have wasted several hours looking through books and the Internet and can find little information. Also the only parts lists available are for the later MR3.

So I have a question on Avro Shackleton crew seats - 

Pilot and co Pilot seats - similar to this one with leg extensions ; fore aft movement and armrests with buttons etc.  Also square profile at lower front.

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/89952-shackleton-bomber-co-pil…

Bombardier crew seat - bucket seat on a set of spindly legs like the one shown

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-upcycled-shackleton-bomb…

Other crew seats low curved back swivel seats - as shown at Newark and elsewhere in green or brown leather.

http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/howard_mason4/shackleton/images/sha…

There are few pictures inside the earlier MR1 or T4 

There is also this view forward into the T4 nose that shows a seat type which could be an early swivel type or something different as it is not the same as the otehr swivel in this T4?

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.546151105480290.1073741825.34…

The pilot seats in the same aircraft do not seem to have the leg extensions ?

https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/abpic-media-eu-production/pictures/f…

This one shows a "signaller" seat which is like the pilot seat but without headrest or armrests

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234990355-airfix-1…

So I assume that the MR1/T4 had  slightly different seats to  the later versions?

Hence is the attached picture of a seat from an early Shackleton crew seat ? 

It is an Avro stamped piece with an Avro part number 4N1044. It has fore/aft movement  but curved bottom rail, no headrest and  different armrests. It has the same side profile as the pilots seat .

It does not appear to be Lincoln, Tudor, Aston , York, Lancastrian etc and too uncomfortable for later aircraft.

Any Shackleton or AVRO seat connoisseurs ?

Thank you.

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Member for

3 years 8 months

Posts: 381

Have you considered it being an observer’s chair? 

Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

Oracal I know it is an Avro chair and  that is about all is fact. 

It is very similar to the Shackletons pilot seat. But there are a few design changes.

Although there are similarities to the Lanc/Lincoln/York pilots seat it is a step further away. 

My issue is that there are very few images inside the MR1/T4. The vast majority of images are from the later versions.  There are only two nose sections still around and there are not many images inside.

I think it is a crew seat from an early version -what position I don't know.  It looks simialr to the WOPS in the britmodeller image but could be from any of the crew positions ??

 

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 96

Hi,

The pilots seats in VP293 are the same as in most surviving Shackletons, but as he was the last in service can't be relied upon as being accurate to T4 specification. There is a slight variance in headrest, harness, and armrests, but the basic seat and frame is the same. The leg extensions are there, but hidden by the castings of the raise/lower mechanism - more so when the seat is at its lowest setting.

Early versions didn't have the big headrests, as seen in WG511.  But for the fixed armrests, I'd have said pilots or copilots seat, but I'm more inclined to think wireless or radar operator, the others are all pedestal style seats.

Regards,

Rich W

 

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Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

Rich thank you for taking the time to find the AP and respond.

You also align with my thoughts that match the AP and the britmodeller image from Flambards being a WOPS or radar chair.

 

Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

A copy of Barry Jones book on Shackletons arrived today and although it does not show the chairs in discussion it has pics of the met and electronic seats in an MR1 that fit in with the AP.

 

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Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

I picked up this chair at Newark at the weekend. From the part number and inspectors stamp I assume it is Shackleton.

I also assume it is Mk 2 ( it is not in the Mk3 parts list) and does not look like any of the pics we have of Mk 1. The seat belt is dated 69.

No armrests. It does have the black leather back cushion with foam insert but they are currently undergoing a repair shop type restoration.

It looks like the Nav seat in Tonys pics. In black cf brown.

From the AP above for the Mk1. only the flight engineer seat was armless.

It came with a Delco fuel booster pump that looks more B17F than Avro.

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 96

It looks like the front gunner's chair.

I'll check WR963 tomorrow.

 

Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

Thank you Rich. The sliding rails are offset to the RHS and not central and there is a cutout in the front RHS which implies a restriction in situ.

 

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 96

Hi,

I checked over the gunners chair in WR963, but at the moment no inspectors stamps or numbers are visble due to thick layers of paint!

The offset rails give it away though, as shown in the photo attached. It gives room for the mechanism to revolve and slide the seat back for access.

Regards,

Rich

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Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

Thank you Rich.. Very much appreciated.

 

Brian

 

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The Mk1 Shackleton chair arrived from Scotland today and was pleasantly surprised to find an aircraft code scribed into the armrest = WB846 P.

There is also a map pocket on  the RHS. I  though the base was on slider bearings but they appear to be grab points as  it is very back heavy.

 

 

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Member for

3 years 8 months

Posts: 381

I doubt that the a/c registration was scribed on while it was in service; “Chiefy” would of had a fit! Even the use of pencil was frowned upon.

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16 years 3 months

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It probably had many visitors when it was sitting on the dump at Kinloss....

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 96

Chiefy must have been looking the other way quite a bit.

I've found WG555, XF700, XF701, WR985 WL741 Wl747, WL747 on our aircraft, as well as a lot of boredom induced other graffiti! Some of it is in pen/indelible pencil, some of it is paint stencils.

Rich

Member for

16 years 3 months

Posts: 1,668

Two Shackleton chairs back from upholsterer yesterday - with new black leather cushions.

 

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