The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

This is the section where you can find all the latest news of the rebuilt of the Short Stirling.
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K4KittyCrew
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by K4KittyCrew »

Stirling Project wrote: .......... but hopefully we'll be cracking on again from this weekend onwards.
John L
In that case John, you may want to move those throttles forward, into full thrust mode :D
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

A slight setback to report over the Xmas period :(

I've never been totally happy with the throttle box side skins and it has become apparent that some of the errors are too great to live with. They weren't too bad considering they were made by one of our late members using battered sideskins as a template, however we're drawing them up again and I'll have to start again.

Hopefully this won't take too long to replicate and we'll be back to where we are now

In the meantime Happy New Year to you all :D

John L
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

Greetings all. I've made the formers for the throttle box side skins and have just bought the material to make the skins themselves. Not much else to report at present as we've been disrupted by the Xmas hols and the latest phase of our building renovation has led to the ground outside looking like the Somme!

I shall crack on with the throttle box at the weekend and treat it as a self contained project with pics to show progress to give you an idea of the process. :)

John L
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

Sorry for the lack of updates recently but we'd hit the buffers slightly having realised that our throttle box side panels hadn't been made accurately enough. This was understandable though seeing as they'd been drawn up using very damaged items as patterns. having re-measured them and drawn them on CAD it showed that they were out by a small amount but significant enough to have ramifications when it comes to recreating the throttle lever cams etc.

The panels have now been drawn up, but in the meantime I've taken the opportunity to start on finishing off the support structure for the throttle box itself, the photo below shows the port support which I've now put flanged lightening holes in. This will now be rivetted together complete with fore and aft attachment angles before moving on to the stbd one.

It feels sometimes that you're running to stand still but hopefully we'll start moving forward again soon.

John L
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

Some more progress in the cold last night :)

Both throttle box support beams are now assembled and just need final painting and the installation of paxolin fairleads where the aileron link rod passes through the beams. They're slaved into position for the time being as they can't be permanently installed until the fuselage frames 4 and 5 have been manufactured.

John
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

A quick update from this weekend.

The 1st Pilot's seat lifting handle has been assembled and slaved into position on the seat frame; pic below. Some minor fettling is needed but this should be sorted fairly soon. meanwhile I concentrtaed on making the new side panels for the throttle box to replace the incorrect ones. This has now been done (see below), the next step is to trim the flanges to shape/size ready for making new re-inforcing angles for the bottom and forward part

John L
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

here's a recent donation to the Project. We were told that it was part of a pilots seat so we uncertain of what it was. On arrival it looks like the front part of the leather seat back, this fits the seat perfectly and gives us the shape, colour and stitching pattern.

John L
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

The throttle box is now back to where we were a month or so ago and replaces the 'old' one which was incorrect in many areas. It's now squared up and drilled and pinned to the flightdeck floor, which the old one wasn't so in some respects we're a bit further ahead.

John L
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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by Stirling Project »

The Stirling Aircraft Project in the News

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/search/?q=stirling

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Re: The Stirling Aircraft Project Update

Post by PAFG »

Incredible stuff John, absolutely fascinating to read through.

Richard
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