Spitfire starter button

Django · **Posted:** Thu Aug 16, 2007 7:19 pm

Do they mount like a typical gauge with the mounting flange (hidden) behind the panel, or does that flange mount on the face of the panel (exposed)?

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Thu Aug 16, 2007 8:12 pm

I belive they mount with a hidden mount, I will check my plane in the morning to be sure. It and the booster coil button are side by side at the lower right of the panel in front of the right knee. It could vary with different models.

Django · **Posted:** Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:57 am

Thanks Bill.

Django · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2007 2:06 pm

Bill, did you get a chance to have a look?

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:27 pm

Oops! Hey i checked the landing gear indicator twice for down, even wore clean underwear. I knew I forgot something; but I will go back out this eve to check, soon as the temps come down off the 92* it is now.

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:30 pm

If I understand what you mean the illuistration in the Spitfire Pilot Notes shows the start and boost coil buttons as surface mounted. They don't protrude through the insrtument panel like the 6 flight instruments do. They are mounted below the instrument panel itself on the right side in front of the pilot's right knee.

Bill Greenwood · **Posted:** Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:59 pm

Django, I just went out to my plane and checked for you. The reason I wasn't sure is they are well below the pilot's normal line of sight, I had to stand on the wing walk and lean in to really see the mounts. Each button has it's own separate base, held to the front of the panel with 4 small screws. They don't come in from behind the panel, adn they are not mounted on the floating panel that contains the standard British 6 blind flying instruments. Rather they are on the frame below that. In my plane there is a small hinged cover, spring loaded over each button and labled.

Django · **Posted:** Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:53 pm

Awesome, thanks Bill!

PeterA · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 2:21 am

Through the life and development of the Spitfire there were variations on the style and mounting of the starter and adjacent boost coil buttons... and many of the instruments as well.

The button unit is flange mounted with four 6BA (from memory)screws, sometimes the flange is front mounted to the 'paxolin' instrument panel and sometimes rear mounted. Two further separate elements are held by the same fixings; a protector flap which can be either of two designs, a lift up or pull down, and sometimes a name tag plate is held by the same screws.

Bill's aircraft, being a post WWII conversion to Tr.IX has unique instrumentation and panel with revised local structure.

PeterA

AeroTRrat · **Posted:** Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:40 pm

I think this here little avitar is a Spit starter button cover.

Sort of my holy grail. Now it's a round Spit mirror I'd like to find.

I have found 2 covers that seem to be Spitfire numbers but they look different. The buttons do mount flush (from the front)and I think the cover mounts on top of the button.

Lancasters had Red ones marked for the 4 engine Fire extinguishers.

Very cool RAF bits

Dave

PeterA · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:59 pm

They look like this.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Spitfire-push-but ... dZViewItem

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Thu Aug 30, 2007 2:07 pm

Or for your mirror...

http://cgi.ebay.com/WW-ll-SPITFIRE-REAR ... dZViewItem

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Spitfire starter button

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