My Bristol Fighter Project

[hector]

Originally Posted by TSJohnson

Thanks Bob. Words of encouragement go a long way. The best selection of drawings is available from the National Archives of the UK. But they don't come cheap 7 pound 50 per drawing and there are about fifty drawings available. If you are interested I can send you a url and a drawing list.

Hi Tom
I had a look at the drawings at Kew several years ago & found that they were of little or no use, being either for a 1/10th scale model or for one fitted with Be2d wings etc, I also had a look through most of the original surviving Bristol drawings "there are over a thousand for all types of F2b" but I could not see many for the early "WW1" Brisfit fuselage metal fittings.
Keep up the good work.
Bob.

[email protected]

[TSJohnson]

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the insight. I did see many drawings in the set that would be of little use for my project, but are interesting in a historical context.

I had the very good fortune to spend quite a lot of time in the UK over the years between USAF and my civilian life afterward. I've been to most of the major museums there to see, first hand, the original aircraft I am interested in producing. Took lots of pictures and chatted with the restoration engineers whenever possible to gleen information. Been collecting material and information for more than twenty years. Studied period engineering texts and modern day works from EAA and other groups, haunted the airports to talk to my elder contemporaries with A&Ps and help them out with restorations and repairs. Then one day I just reached critical mass and I understood. So I study the originals, then convert them to be built with modern materials. Do all the CAD work myself which includes Finite Element Analysis for stressed parts and then produce a prototype to prove the design.

[TSJohnson]

Hello,

It's been a few weeks since I posted so wanted to update you on my project's progress. This past four weeks has been spent wrapping up the CAD work. I took the engineering drawings to a local blueprint shop and had them plotted out. Hadn't bought a plotter, but at the cost to have the full set produced it certainly wouldn't take long to recoupe ones expense! Something to add to the wish list. Also completed outfitting my hangar (read garage) with adequate lighting, the requisite power tools, compressor and hand tools, then leveled and squared my building tables and organized all the miscellaneous bits and bobs into bins for easy access.

Went to the local home improvement store one evening to purchase "builder's paper" which I used to cover the tops of my building tables. This so I could use the engineering plots to draw the full size layout so we can build directly over it. Going this afternoon to my local metal supplier (I'll post the link in a future update) to pick up my first batch of materials and will commence building this weekend. I've elected to start with the horizontal stabilizer, elevator, fin and rudder because I have two pilot friends who wish to assist so they can learn some of that mysterious Airframe and Powerplant "mechanic stuff". If there are any ooops these assemblies will be less expensive to replace damaged bits on than say, a longeron...

I'll post some pictures when I have something that resembles an aircraft structure. I can already feel the wind in my face and my scarf flapping behind me as I survey the front from the air!

[Lufbery]

Tom,

Good luck as you get started!

Any chance you could post some photos of your work area and equipment.

Regards,

[T-6]

Hi.
Just gettin my three posts.

[T-6]

Here's post #2

[T-6]

And, here's the last. Wonder what this "three post" thing is about!!???

[ProfLooney]

Hi Tom

I drew up a set of Brisfit plans with the fittings etc from several sources and from having buds in the UK take dimensions for me. they are at 3rd scale but the guys that have seen them can attest that everything except the very nose section is exact framing of the full scale. and I have a plethera of pics of the plane in bare bones etc. I see you mentioned the Wylam drawings. be very careful with these he combined 2 different versions of the plane in his drawings.

contact me at my email at [email protected] we can hook up and I can share my ref and research data that I have spent 4 yrs researching and collecting. it may not be full scale but I have enough info to get ya going decently especially with the fittings

I am proud to say I have had 3 replica builders ask for sets of my drawings so they can use them to blow them up for making a replica because of the accuracy of the layout

Joe

[ProfLooney]

Heres a few of the fittings to give ya an idea

[ProfLooney]

A couple Inspiration Shots for you

Horizontal Tailplane