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Several more original Spitfire parts have been acquired. I will detail those in a following post, but most are instruments already being used to make accurate simulator gauges. This post will be about the progress made on replicating the 5C/898 starter push buttons. The visible parts (shroud and button) have been replicated successfully, and the dies are doing a good job. Here are a couple teaser pics…

The original is the black Bakelite part on the right, the copy on the left. The copy is made in white so that I can inspect the curves and geometry easier. Production parts will be in the original black color.

This picture is a close up of the shrouds that surround the starter button. The original part number placement and script has been replicated in the FresnoSim part. Just part of the attention to detail that we feel make our parts better.

Some of the new old stock (NOS) Spitfire parts have started arriving from over seas. They are in good shape and I will start the design work on the simulator parts soon. I decided to start off with commonly used switches seen on multiple variants of the Spitfire. Going over the many original instrument panel design sheets I have on file, I isolated two primary switches I needed to offer. The first is the 5C/543 switch.

5c/543 Royal Air Force Spitfire switch

Most panel layouts I have show at least two of these switches. The 5C/543 are most commonly used as the generator and the navigation light switch. The other ‘must have’ is the 5C/898 push button switch.

NOS 5c/898 Royal Air Force push button switch.

The  5C/898 is used as a starter button for the engine. There was also a rotax switch used to start the engine. I may search out and offer a rotax style later. The engine start switch was covered by a spring loaded plate to avoid unintentional use. I located a 5C/2896 cover and will be replicating that cover for the start switch for now.

5c/2896 Royal Air Force switch cover

I also attained a 5C/793 bulb holder. I am looking through my documentation, but I believe this was used as a spare bulb holder for some of the gun sights.

I am still waiting for the Spitfire parts to arrive. During this time I am cleaning up and updating an 8 axis usb card for control inputs. I use this card a lot since it gives me flexibility to build out my cockpits the way I want them . It works great, giving me yaw, pitch, roll, rotary elevator trim, rotary rudder trim, throttle lever, mixture lever, and prop lever in one card. It also has 3 button inputs, I’m going to update it to 8-10 buttons. The card is plug-and-play using built in HID drivers, no extra driver disks to lose. Windows XP and 7 read it as a standard game controller. You can use the Windows game controller settings to see how all 8 axis and buttons are responding.

I should have the updates and new board layout finalized by next week, production dates following that. I plan on calling this board the Warbird. There is a possible follow up of a higher axis count board later called the Bomber for multi-engine simulators.

Here at FresnoSim we strive for accuracy in our parts. The best way to accomplish that is by using factory drawings when they are available and having the actual parts to reference. We are proud to say that we have some vintage WWII Spitfire parts on the way from England to use as proofs for our simulator replicas. Stay tuned for the arrival and unveiling! We will post developments here in the blog.

Welcome to FresnoSim.com! This website is a portal to hand made aircraft simulator parts and other products from my home based fabrication shop. I have been a pilot since 1990, achieving it at the age of 16, and love all things to do with flying. My background includes 17 years working as a system admin and custom parts fabricator for a large motorcycle dealership, followed by 4 years with an international flight school as the manager of both the parts and maintenance departments. Both of these have left me with a deep knowledge of  custom fabrication and aircraft construction. I plan to blend both of these to produce realistic simulator parts for those who aren’t happy with a ‘generic’ radio stack or accessory. Please check back often to see what new parts are added to the products page and feel free to use the comments page to leave feedback or suggest a part you would like to see offered.