Chipmunk Cockpit Interior
 

I'm refurbishing a Chipmunk cockpit for display in the RAF Halton Trenchard Museum. Thinking ahead to the re-paint, I've been told that some earlier Chippies were finished inside in cockpit green rather than all black. If true, that finish might make for a better background for Joe Public to see the various bits and pieces around the cockpit.

Can any of the Old and Bold out there verify that cockpit green was ever used in Chippies? If so, can anyone point me towards photos that show an interior painted that way? All thoughts will be welcome.

I can't speak for the early years; from 1958, when I first encountered the Chipmunk, they were black inside. You need someone older than I am!!

I can vaguely remember seeing evidence of green paint under the black, where the top coat had worn through. For example where palms rubbed operating main switches, or throttle / mixtures.

However, I couldn't be sure this wasn't merely any undercoat.

Go register on the flypast forums too and ask, lots involved with them there

Linkie
Historic Aviation - Key Publishing Ltd Aviation Forums

Never seen a green cockpit inside. Mines was 1951, cockpit interior all black.

Unless in some distant past it had a full interior refurb, which I doubt, it has always been black.

RAF Turnhouse, and St Andrews, was where it lived for most of its life.

I also have some fifties, and sixties external photographs of mine, in various guises, and interior looks black.

Maybe some one off's were green inside.

I only go back to the early 70s but all the ones in which I had air experience flights were black.

Primer was green. Top coat was black.

The green you saw showing through was from the original Black Watch tartan interior. That's the scheme you should be refurbishing you display in. It's authentic, honest.

Me too - black. Come to that, I can only visualise black in any of the RAF cockpits I have sat in.

If you found a witness to justify green, it would seem perverse to choose it.

Seriously, the one I flew in sometime around 1974 was black. I guess it depends what era you want to depict. One point, though; if you found that there were green cockpits and went with that scheme, you might find that hundreds of visitors to the display would end up asking why the exibit is painted the wrong colour - even if it isn't.

WIWOC ...

Can I suggest you drop Rod Brown an eMail, he and Bill Fisher, amassed over the years a wealth of information and pictures of the dear old Chipmunk.

I can only recall the Matt Black cockpits ... but do remember some we're "chipped" (pun intended) showing a green'ish colour underneath ... But this may have been a primer paint.

He's ex RAF and I'm sure he'd love to be of some assistance if he can

[email protected]

Best regards ...

Coff

In the 1970's at Abingdon I seem to remember them having black cockpit coamings and panels with yucky green sides to the internal fuselage.

1963 - Yorkshire Flying Club - Yeadon - Flying Scholarship - GAOSK/GAOSU definately black! 17 years old, I spent lots of hours staring at the instrument panel wondering what the f** was going on!!

Didn't we all!

Black ... early 70's ... good old WZ845 :ok:

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/...n101640002.jpg

Coff.

PS Yes I know it's only a B&W pic :)

I only go back to 1959, but the cockpit was black. Maybe the color changed later, but the last time I flew in one in 1970 it was still black..

Bob C

I go back to 1958, Station Flight Chipmunk at RAF Cottesmore, definitely matt black, makes sense to prevent confusing reflections. Until I retired in 1999 all things I have seen painted first had a coat of green primer.

Colour
 

Been in one that looked a lot like this.....

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/n...30at111739.jpg

Army Chippies were black, although if you glanced into the rear cockpit when clambering in, you could see traces of Duck Egg Blue primer where the Instructors had been holding on...

Don't forget to capture that unique aroma of AVGAS, sweat and vomit for a truly authentic restoration!

Incidentally, and apoligies for the slight tangent - the duck egg paint underneath the black. From what has been said here, we used it as a primer, but many Soviet ac used it as a topcoat - they may even still do. Can anyone shed light, it has always left me wondering? I did wonder if they had a job lot of paint at one time (like our uniforms!) but I was talking to a chap a while back who suggested that the duck egg blue/green paint might have been more relaxing to look at thus a very basic 'Human Factors' solution.