MVP F86F Sabre Sim Pit - Build Blog

[[MVP] Mugga]

Another milestone achieved tonight with the trial installation of the production spare forward windscreen assembly!  The unit slid straight into position and will require very little adjustment for its final installation.  The forward windscreen section will be removed later this week, as we continue stripping out the cockpit tub ahead of a major pressure washing this coming Saturday.

 

Both the left and right hand side rudder pedal assemblies were removed from the aircraft for restoration.  Both units will be dismantled, cleaned up and given fresh paintwork, with all bearings and pivots lubricated etc.  The right hand pedal is missing a backplate, which we will have to fabricate and fit.

 

[[MVP] Mugga]

Our collection of Sabre canopies have been stored up on top of the office in the hangar to make room in the workshop.  Space is a premium!

 

[[MVP] Mugga]

Edited October 28, 2023 by [MVP] Mugga

[[MVP] Mugga]

The team were back in the workshop this Saturday, finishing off the restoration of the Emergency Stores Jettison handle and attachment bracket.  Finish colour coats and clear have been applied, with the completed assembly looking better than new in the 1960's.  The stores jettison bracket mounts to the cockpit left hand wall, underneath the instrument panel.  During the week ahead, we will source a Pull/Push style switch and fabricate a shaft that will run through the attachment bracket and connect to the handle itself.  When completed, the handle will pull out and push in, with the electronics connected to an Arduino controller.

[[MVP] Mugga]

Work has continued on the cockpit instrument panel centre console.  The last of the electronics/instruments were removed and the console was media blasted back to bare aluminum.  Unfortunately, corrosion had eaten away the left hand side lower corner of the console and it required a quick repair.  We first drilled out the remnants of the old corner doubler, then took a paper template from the right hand side.  The template was cut out and a new doubler was cut from aluminum sheet stock and all the corners rounded off and given a coat of grey etch primer.

The new doubler was then match drilled to the existing rivet holes on the centre console and then new rivets installed. 

[[MVP] Mugga]

The centre console was lastly given two coats of matte black paint, and unfortunately I managed to get some runs in it!  So... they have been left to dry out this week, following which I will given them a light wet-sand by hand, and then repaint them.  Once the centre console has received three good coats of black, it will be given two coats of durable clear.

 

And before leaving the workshop today, we gave the throttle quadrant outer left hand side cockpit fairing a coat of black paint.  This fairing closes the gab between the throttle quadrant and the left hand side cockpit sidewall.  It also houses a selection handle, which we are missing the knob off.

 

[[MVP] Mugga]

Centre console looking much better than it did just weeks ago!  Can't wait to install all of the electronics etc.

 

[Spitty]

Always a good feeling getting things in paint.

[[MVP] Mugga]

2 hours ago, Spitty said:

Always a good feeling getting things in paint.

Will be a lot happier once I have things re-assembled too!

[[MVP] Mugga]

Went in late tonight to try and make some progress on the forward fuselage top cowling.  After giving it a scrub with a scotch pad and a clean with detergent, it will now be paint-stripped and the corrosion cleaned up.  All three cowling latches will be removed and all the moving components given media blasting, prior to painting and reassembly.  The entire cowling will be painted matte black and given three coats of satin clear to both protect it and make it easier to keep clean and free of oily fingerprints!

 

[[MVP] Mugga]

Trial fitting some of the centre console instruments today.

 

[[MVP] Mugga]

Many thanks to [MVP] Slaxor who has taken on the job of converting the aircraft instruments to work with DCS World.  Our goal is to preserve the original instruments as much as possible, rewiring them to communicate with the Arduino controller and DCS Bios.  The Gun, Bomb & Rocket control instrument in the centre console is a particularly complicated mechanical/electrical unit, but hopefully we can configure it to provide the necessary outputs.

The instrument comprises of three selector knobs, which are easy enough to extract signals from.  The real challenge, are the four (see above in yellow) reference indicators, which are attached to discs that are moved via stepper motors inside of the instrument.  Months of searching have failed to turn up a parts manual or operators manual for this unit, so we are having to reverse engineer to make this work.

Whilst [MVP] Slaxor was busy with the Gun, Bomb & Rocket instrument, I took some time to finish off the Bomb Adjustment instrument that is located on the top left hand side of the cockpit glare-shield.  The control box has been completely restored and has a new electronics that are ready for a wiring harness to be attached.

 

Before finishing up for the day, we took some time to inspect the right hand console radio instruments.

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by [MVP] Mugga