My Tornado GR1 cockpit project so far
Thread Starter
You could say my project has reached new heights, since I finally managed to get the proper RAF type barometric altimeter,, also put the HUD in place, I wasnt sure of the box, or the map unit would support the weight as it is rather heavy, but it seems to be OK. I also have noticed the map seems to be slightly tilted upwards in the real cockpit so I will have to try and do that when I make the final version.
I managed to get some MDF which i will use for the panels and got a few bits of wood i can use to make a structure to mount the panels to.
Does anyone know if there are any place with a Tornado cockpit I can have access to so I can take some detailed photos and measurements? I know I am never going to have it 100% accurate but I would like to get it as good as I can.
by https://www.flickr.com/photos/145547634@N04/
I managed to get some MDF which i will use for the panels and got a few bits of wood i can use to make a structure to mount the panels to.
Does anyone know if there are any place with a Tornado cockpit I can have access to so I can take some detailed photos and measurements? I know I am never going to have it 100% accurate but I would like to get it as good as I can.
Sir. I am interested in what is your motivation to produce your GR1 cockpit. My apologies if you have already stated this previously. I love what you have achieved, looks excellent by the way.
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Its just been a dream of mine since I was about 10 to have my own cockpit i could sit at and press buttons, flick switches and examine all the instruments, because of my Aspergers and Dyspraxia it means i can't be a real piloit, taking the controls of the chipmunk when i was an air cadet is as near as i will get, well more recently i had a go in a Piper Warrior 11 which belongs to a rather awesome company called Aerobility to help people with all kinds of disabilities learn to fly. and just over a week ago i was very lucky to have a flight in a Spitfire and got to take the controls,. Sp yes i have wanted my own cockpit for over 30 years, I wasn't particularly fussed about what type of aircraft it was, but the Tornado is one of my favourites, as its been really the backbone of the RAF throughout my entire life, and sadly as they are being retired next year, and quite a few have already been scrapped, there's more parts of them available. although some of the parts seem very hard or imposible to get. Originally i started of just having one or 2 bits which were just meant to be display items then i got more and before i knew it i thought i may as well try and make a cockpit! and i chose to base it on a GR1 as in my mind that is the original and proper Tornado.
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Some made a left panel from MDF as they were doing a similar project to me but they gave up so now I got the panel, it was unpainted so today i painted it in battleship grey which seems to be a pretty good match, the gaps between the instruments are a bit wide but i think it would be hard to make it entirely accurate as there would be only a very thin piece of MDF between the holes probably quite difficult to cut it like that, its still a lot better than the cardboard! eventually i might make another panel, using this as a template but using a small amount of metal as a spacer between the instruments that way i can make it look more aunthentic. I finally got all the main flight instruments, the VSI is from an F3 but as far as I can tell its identical to the one used on the GR1 so i can accept that, I got a few other new bits as well, but they are for the side consoles, and other F3 part is the environment controls and yet another F3 part the angle of attack meter, again these both seem to be identical to the ones used in the GR1 and I am currently waiting for the fuel control panel , i dont know what aircraft that was fitted to but i think they are probably standard in all variants.
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Seen these from below the head down display
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EX-MOD-Pa...4AAOSwjI5avLYS
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panavia-T...IAAOSw1S9WgqY4
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panavia-T...wAAOSwcx5ZZ3c9
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EX-MOD-Pa...4AAOSwjI5avLYS
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panavia-T...IAAOSw1S9WgqY4
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panavia-T...wAAOSwcx5ZZ3c9
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look at 2nd link 2nd last picture
The populated panel can be seen in the last but one picture behind the pilot's control stick marked 1.
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I think they are from the F3, looks like that empty space was for the trims gauge, which I have but it was fitted a different place on the GR1 , its so difficult to get it accurate as i see many photos, even of GR1 which have slightly different layouts.
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However there are differences, i will be at Bruntingthorpe tomorrow if I can get in do you wannt me to try and get some pictures of theirs? this one
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Thread Starter
That would be great thanks, if possible could you measure how far it is from the floor of the cockpit to the bottom of the main control panel. I'm going to construct the central panel out of MDF and it will also be thre support for ther PMD and HUD plus I will add supports underneath for the instrument panels. i need to make the base for the PMD at a slight angle as it appears to be slightly tilted upwards.
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Got a few new parts, just one more instrument to get now to complete the front panel, well I'm missing a few buttons, switches and so on but I am not so fussed about that, I have given up on making it a perfect complete cockpit, it's turning out to be more of an expensive project than I thought! I am going to try and get some proper metal panels cut for the front panels, the wooden left side one is OK but not quite right as there is to much of a gap between the instruments, its probably hard to get the holes cut that accurate uisng wood. My new parts are the total fuel contents indicator, fuel managment panel and environment conntrol panel.
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That would be great thanks, if possible could you measure how far it is from the floor of the cockpit to the bottom of the main control panel. I'm going to construct the central panel out of MDF and it will also be thre support for ther PMD and HUD plus I will add supports underneath for the instrument panels. i need to make the base for the PMD at a slight angle as it appears to be slightly tilted upwards.
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Will do, some might have the drawings on the flypast forums
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Cheers! it is getting there. I found somewhere local that does metal panel work so might enquire about getting some panels made up to mount the instruments, the wooden one is OK but not accurate enough for my liking! they say no job to big or small so might have some joy. And as you know I may be getting a seat as well!
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