Chipmunk Cockpit Interior

[Courtney Mil]

Shaggy Sheep Driver. What an excellent screen name. Gives me an idea for a new thread.

[Dora-9]

Chipmunk Instrumentation

Aviate & Coffman:

Not claiming “bragging rights” or whatever, but here are my panels. My Chipmunk came out of the RAF in 1994 and the instruments are all the original ones, although they were all overhauled during the 6 year restoration. I’ve tried to keep her completely bog-standard (apart from all those placards and the voltmeter). Sourcing the stopwatch was quite an exercise in itself…

[Rosevidney1]

Interesting that the VNE is given as 155 kts. In my day it was 173.

[Lima Juliet]

Rosevidney1

IIRC the military T10s were cleared to 173KIAS and the civvy Mk 20 and Mk 22s only 155KIAS. I don't know if the military version was "beefed up"?

Dora-9

Good looking aeroplane, my friend (at least inside it is!)

LJ

[CoffmanStarter]

Dora-9 ...

Simply beautiful ... well done on keeping one of the old girls airworthy ... and thanks for sharing

Best regards ...

Coff.

[CoffmanStarter]

RAF TMK10 Chipmunk VNE 173 KIAS ... where as the Canadian Military variant had a VNE of 175 KIAS. Sorry I'm not that knowledgeable on the civilian MK20/22's.

[ImageGear]

Green ? Possibly...

My first air experience was out of Tangmere around April/May of 1970 and having gone onto fly later, it is etched in my memory as if on glass.

I was in the back with the instructor in the front, over to the sewerage farm for some gentle aero's and I flew most of the trip including the approach - he with his head between his knees, bobbing up every so often to check that I was still heading in the right direction.

The quiet swish over the grass and "check, check, check" settling on with a satisfying rumble...and the whole cockpit was green except for the coaming. I seem to remember it being worn down to black along the edge of the cockpit around the canopy but otherwise it was that strange pastel green colour.

I don't have a picture and I really regret it for more reasons than one.

I flew in the one at Booker a couple of years ago but it did'nt really sound or feel the same.

Imagegear

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

And that VFE of 71KIAS is for 2nd stage flap. You can go a bit faster on 1st stage (useful at busy fields to keep the speed up to short final, then reduce to the higher VFE for first stage flap, 71 for full flap, then stabilise trimmed at 60). Don't exceed either VFE - the cables are quite thin and if one snaps you'll get asymettric flap deployment.

Nice interiror, by the way.

[kenparry]

Interesting that the VNE is given as 155 kts. In my day it was 173.

That's one of the differences between military and UK civil certification. I fly a Mk 22, originally a T10. IAS limit as a T10 was 173 kt, now as a Mk 22 it is 155 kt. Also the x-wind limit has come down from 15 kt to 10 kt. So, no, the T10 was not "beefed up".

[Dora-9]

The T.10 and Mk.22 are absolutely the same aeroplane, with the latter civil certified with the reduced speeds and all those placards. Originally too the brake master cylinder was relocated behind the firewall, where it could drip on the radios and start a fire, but most Mk.21's and 22's here now have them back in the original position.

In Australia, CASA will accept the T.10 on the register, unlike in the UK. However when MMS was being restored it required an Approved Flight Manual and at the time there was no such thing as an AFM for the T.10, so it was registered as a Mk.22.

Leon - she looks great on the outside too!

[Stuart Sutcliffe]

Having done some research previously in to the Chipmunk, including a fair amount of historical material, I am pretty confident that the cockpit interiors have always been finished in black.

The only noticeable recent change that I have seen is the Shuttleworth Collection's Chippie finished to 'represent' the bright yellow scheme of the RCAF. '671' is actually a fictitious serial and the aircraft is registered as G-BNZC. It was never in RCAF service (wrong type of canopy for starters ...) but I suspect the scheme was chosen for being bright and attractive? Anyway, it is the only Chippie cockpit that I have seen done in something other than black - it is a light blue-gray throughout, including cockpit sidewalls and floor. I am not aware of any actual RCAF Chippie ever having had cockpits this colour.

See here and here for example photos.

[Dora-9]

Stuart, you've opened a can of worms here!

Some of the items "wrong" with G-BNZC purporting to be a Canadian-built DHC-1B-2-S3 or S5 that are visible in the photo you supplied include (apart from lacking that gorgeous blown canopy):

1. Incorrect spinner (Canadian ones have a join line mid chord)
2. Incorrect exhaust and lacks the tube intake on the nose cowl
3. Canadian Chipmunks don't have the longeron reinforcement plates immediately aft of the firewall
4. Incorrect shaped windscreen (Canadian ones are flat at the bottom viewed from the side, and have a narrower cross-section too)
5. Incorrect wingtip (nav light should be at 1/3rd chord)
6. Stalling strips 3 times too long
7. Undercarriage legs shouldn't be faired
8. Canadian Chipmunks don't have the battery access panels (on the fuselage top immediately behind the canopy)
9. There should be a reinforced whip antenna mount on the dorsal spine
10. Canadian Chipmunks never had the strakes
11. Elevator horns were more pointed/greater span on the DHC-1B

I could go on much further, but that will give you the idea - what were the Shuttleworth people thinking?

[CoffmanStarter]

Dora-9 ... A very, very nice restoration/preservation job ... you are to be congratulated

I see you kept her in the first iteration of the "raspberry ripple" colour scheme ...

Best ...

Coff.

[CoffmanStarter]

Stuart ...

You may know this already ... but thought I'd share given the above interest ...

The Shuttleworth Chipmunk was British built with a construction serial of C1/0778/DHB.f.677 and served with the UK military registration of WP905. She was one of the 150 Chipmunks in the WP series built during the period June '52 to April '54. The DHB in the in the fuselage number I've quoted indicates she was off the Broughton (Chester) production line.

Best ...

Coff.

NB. Apart from a personal lifelong 'love affair' with the Chipmunk (sad I know) ... the historic information above is not my work ... so due credit to Rod Brown and Bill Fisher for their dedication through a similar 'love affair' with this wonderful little aeroplane.

[CoffmanStarter]

Dora-9 ...

I've just put 2 + 2 together and possibly come up with 4 ?

If so ... you are to be congratulated on your contribution to a certain book on the subject

Best ...

Coff.

[The Helpful Stacker]

So many enjoyable hours sat in the back of one of 2 AEFs Chipmunks and many more stretched out on the grass waiting for my turn.

I would love to know if anyone in the UK offers flights in Chipmunks, would be fantastic to sit in the back of one again.

[Dora-9]

Coffmann - Well spotted, that man!

Thanks for the nice comments about the Chipmunk. The choice of colour scheme was easy; WG478 desperately needed a repaint when she came out of the container, I've always thought the first permutation of the Red/White/Lt Grey scheme looked much better, and then when I discovered that she had been a "Blue Chips" aircraft with 2 FTS (I'd long fancied those markings), that was it!

Cheers.

[Echo Romeo]

So many enjoyable hours sat in the back of one of 2 AEFs Chipmunks and many more stretched out on the grass waiting for my turn.

I would love to know if anyone in the UK offers flights in Chipmunks, would be fantastic to sit in the back of one again.

Try Wickenby, Lincs I'm sure they have one for hire

[airborne_artist]

Big Airways Flying Club at Booker has a Chipmunk.

[CoffmanStarter]

Dora-9

Best ...

Coff.