P-51D cockpit build

Arguably the finest fighter aircraft of World War II.
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Killratio
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Killratio »

Very nice Ed.

I like the door idea, it can be a bit tricky getting in and out of a sim as you get older! I'm having to build a curved ladder for my F-16 as the flare out wing strakes are now beyond my "climb and step forward at the same time" range.

The door in the Spit makes it manageable, with effort ... which is small compensation for the parachute pack acting as a cushion for the duration of any flight ... a very literal P.i.t.A!!

The P-51 certainly seems a little more "roomie" once you get in.


Anyhow, fantastic work and keep it up.

Darryl
<Sent from my 1988 Sony Walkman with Dolby Noise Reduction and 24" earphone cord extension>


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DHenriques_
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by DHenriques_ »

Killratio wrote:Very nice Ed.

I like the door idea, it can be a bit tricky getting in and out of a sim as you get older! I'm having to build a curved ladder for my F-16 as the flare out wing strakes are now beyond my "climb and step forward at the same time" range.

The door in the Spit makes it manageable, with effort ... which is small compensation for the parachute pack acting as a cushion for the duration of any flight ... a very literal P.i.t.A!!

The P-51 certainly seems a little more "roomie" once you get in.


Anyhow, fantastic work and keep it up.

Darryl
I thought the same thing about that side door. It was a stroke of genius doing it that way. People climbing in and out of the pit would pose the possibility for damage both cosmetic and mechanical. You HAVE to believe everyone who comes to visit when you have a setup like this will want to try it out. Scratches if nothing else would drive me up a wall after doing all this work.
Reminds me of these tub enclosures you see advertised on TV these days where you walk in a side door like this one, sit down and fill it up. I've yet to figure out how they designed a seal for those side doors that doesn't leak.
LOL
D

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Killratio
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Killratio »

DHenriquesA2A wrote:
People climbing in and out of the pit would pose the possibility for damage both cosmetic and mechanical. You HAVE to believe everyone who comes to visit when you have a setup like this will want to try it out. Scratches if nothing else would drive me up a wall after doing all this work.

D
Dudley,

Yes, it is a hazard of operations that people may damage things...and part of the reason for my ali rebuild! Even at the building stage people are keen to look at these things. I have a fool proof system for dealing with it... I am very direct (read incredibly rude) about the conditions of use. ;) For the newbies or kids who do make "selection", I have a scenario setup starting at Bunbury, dawn, midwinter (summer oil) and a temperature of -2C and one of my tired old Spitfires On the ramp. After 15-20 minutes trying to get the Spitfire I to start, most lose interest and go to look at the nice shiny, interesting (but semi disassembled and therefore unflyable) F-16

Luckily the very few friends who still visit are good at it by now. The side advantage is that my social calendar tends to stay quite open as well :) :) :)

I am fully aware that there are names "for people like me" and I wear those badges with pride! Ed's "car door" solution should save him a LOT of grief in this department, especially if he more "accommodating" than I. :):):)

best

D2
<Sent from my 1988 Sony Walkman with Dolby Noise Reduction and 24" earphone cord extension>


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Raceguy
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Raceguy »

Thanks Darryl and Dudley!

I fully expect that anyone stopping by will want to get in the pit. One friend stopped by last summer and he got the "watch this and that, place your foot here" instructions before entering. The pit is small and it is difficult to get in and out easily even with the door. With most of the parts wood or plastic and not metal it is prone to damage but I will try to keep it to a minimum.

Darryl Quote
I am fully aware that there are names "for people like me" and I wear those badges with pride! Quote

Darryl, I have the same badge! Regarding damage, to the pit or other items we own, both my wife and I very opinionated, and out spoken, about how our things are handled. Her car is 10 years old and does not have a scratch on it due to the way we park. Mine is only 2 and is parked the same way. Especially here in Florida, with the Floridiots, that don't seem to care about others property. I have noticed the Grandkids "flinch" when I enter the room! I like to keep them on their toes and guessing what I'm going to do next! :twisted:

Take care
Ed
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If at first you do succeed, try not to look too surprised!

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DHenriques_
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by DHenriques_ »

Killratio wrote:
DHenriquesA2A wrote:
People climbing in and out of the pit would pose the possibility for damage both cosmetic and mechanical. You HAVE to believe everyone who comes to visit when you have a setup like this will want to try it out. Scratches if nothing else would drive me up a wall after doing all this work.

D


Dudley,

Yes, it is a hazard of operations that people may damage things...and part of the reason for my ali rebuild! Even at the building stage people are keen to look at these things. I have a fool proof system for dealing with it... I am very direct (read incredibly rude) about the conditions of use. ;) For the newbies or kids who do make "selection", I have a scenario setup starting at Bunbury, dawn, midwinter (summer oil) and a temperature of -2C and one of my tired old Spitfires On the ramp. After 15-20 minutes trying to get the Spitfire I to start, most lose interest and go to look at the nice shiny, interesting (but semi disassembled and therefore unflyable) F-16

Luckily the very few friends who still visit are good at it by now. The side advantage is that my social calendar tends to stay quite open as well :) :) :)

I am fully aware that there are names "for people like me" and I wear those badges with pride! Ed's "car door" solution should save him a LOT of grief in this department, especially if he more "accommodating" than I. :):):)

best

D2
I might have told you in the past about the pitot tube cover my crew made for the 51 when we had her on static display at show sites.
One day I looked in horror as a father stood by and watched his young kid attempt to use my pitot tube for a swing.
I stopped this just in the nick of time.
One of the girls on our crew made us a new cover for the tube. It was red with a long flag with a yellow lightning bolt sewn onto both sides. In the bolt she had sewn in the words "DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE".
Never had a problem with people and the tube after that. :-))
D

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Raceguy
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Raceguy »

Dudley, that is just shocking! :shock: :lol:

I have seen people touch, grab, sit, stand etc. on items at shows with no concern for any damage. If something gets damaged on my pit, I'll probably mutter some ungentlemanly words then fix it. At least it's not a real plane that could cause harm, unless you count the bumps, scrapes, bruises and burns I have encountered during the build. There is nothing like crawling under the dash to do something, telling yourself not to raise up, then raising up into a sharp object like you did not know it was there. :oops: It's a good thing my shop walls are insulated!

Take care
Ed
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If at first you do succeed, try not to look too surprised!

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Raceguy
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Raceguy »

Hello everyone

I would like to thank everyone that visited this build for a quick look or offered very kind comments and suggestions. I am honored and humbled by your interest. Your encouragement kept me going on those days when I got frustrated and had thoughts of making the pit go airborne, and not in a good way!

Over the weekend I finalized a lot of the work on the pit. It is not complete yet (will it ever be?) but it is to the point that it can be moved from the shop to my office/hanger where it will reside. I took advantage of the great weather and moved the pit from my shop to the main part of the garage so I could take some pictures.

The pit is 3½ ft. wide by 6 ft. long and 4½ ft. tall and was built in my 10 by 12 ft. shop. That sounds like a lot of room to work until you figure in the 10 foot long counter top on one side and the workbench, tool chest and file cabinets on the other. That allows 5 feet of workable space and with this project I found myself moving 1-2 things to get to the third. The shop was built for small projects like models but this 1:1 scale model pushed the limits!

As I have mentioned before this pit has to go through an opening 29 inches wide. It will break down into 2 sides, the back, a main base, seat, windshield and dash and be reassembled in my office. You will see some of this in the pics below.

Thank you again for viewing! As I make the move, reassemble the pit, start setting up the switches and screens and take that first flight I’ll update this thread.

Take care
Ed

The “office”

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Left side opened as a door showing the caster supporting the non hinged end.

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Next to the seat you can see a small latch. This is used to pull the side tightly closed.

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Right side separated from main frame for assembly. Just below the O2 regulator in the white area you can see a rod sticking out of the frame. There is a corresponding hole in the side frame. To install the side I position it on the rod and slide it forward.

When the back section is pushed toward the frame it sits on a small ledge for support. There is a 4 inch bolt that goes through the side into the ledge locking the side in place and a 3 inch screw holding the top to the rear section.

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Since the right side will be against the wall and not seen I chose not to install aluminum. The green you see is cardstock painted to match the interior which shows around the controls panels. This was also done for the left side so bare metal would not be seen.

At the right you can see an old desktop control box I modified to handle the 120v needs of the pit. I removed the original switches and ran their wires to the lower left where you can see the back of the “environmental” panel. I added a toggle and light to the pit’s electrical panel that will let me turn this system on/off with one switch.

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And, The End.

Here you can see the rear fan installed to pull air out of the pit. There are also 2 smaller fans installed at the front under the dash (not shown), separately switched on the environmental panel, to push air into the pit. Years ago when this was my racing pit I found that it can get warm and stuffy. The same fans were installed as a solution. I also have a portable A/C unit in my office with a remote for those days when I fly too close to the sun and get too hot!

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If at first you do succeed, try not to look too surprised!

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Piper_EEWL
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Piper_EEWL »

:shock: I've been following the project from the beginning and I know I'm repeating myself here but that's just simply amazing add! The attention to the details and the skills (not even talking about the patience!) needed to create something like this from scratch is something to be proud of!

I really enjoyed the updates on the project here in the thread and hope to see some final final shots when it's fully operational at its designated spot!

Thank you for sharing this.

Greetings from Germany!
B377&COTS, J3 Cub, B-17G, Spitfire, P-40, P-51D, C172, C182, Pa28, Pa24, T-6 Texan, L-049&COTS, Bonanza V35B

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Tug002
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Tug002 »

:D What a beautiful job on the cockpit. Sitting in that would make you feel actually airborne. :D

Keep smiling
Tug :)

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Raceguy
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Raceguy »

Thank you both for your kind words!

Take care
Ed
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If at first you do succeed, try not to look too surprised!

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Killratio
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Killratio »

Stunning! Looking forward to seeing her up and flying!
<Sent from my 1988 Sony Walkman with Dolby Noise Reduction and 24" earphone cord extension>


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Raceguy
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Raceguy »

Thanks Darryl!
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If at first you do succeed, try not to look too surprised!

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joespeed52
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by joespeed52 »

Wow. If I had one of these, I surely would never fly anything else again.
Looking good, Raceguy!
Comanche, 172, 182, PA-28, Civ/Mil Mustang, T-6, COTS L049, P-40, Spitfire, V35, and Mighty B-17.
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Raceguy
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Raceguy »

Thanks Joespeed52!
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Lewis - A2A
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Re: P-51D cockpit build

Post by Lewis - A2A »

One of the best simpits ive ever seen, totally amazing :shock: :shock: :shock:
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