Swifter Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share #26 Posted March 13, 2017 It would probably be very difficult to prove what came from the factory on every version of the Link. I can think of the possibilities that Link was asked to install Beech wheels on a particular contract or that a depot overhaul program did so later. I know that the Curtiss-Wright simulators were built in different versions for various bombers and airliners but I never asked anyone if the cockpits were perfect matches... Yeah, well, your photo of the link with the Beech wheel certainly suggests you're right about the possibility! Thanks for that photo of the Link with the Beech wheel. I've been in a couple of Links and have probably seen a half dozen at various locations over the decades. That photo is the first I've seen with that control wheel. Just wondering, is your wheel is made of an aluminum alloy (IE: light weight) or is it a heavier metal? My Link wheel is about the size/shape of a Lockheed Hudson/Ventura wheel but far heavier. I think it's basically a pot-metal casting. Since Link wheels were never intended for flight, weight didn't matter and cheaper materials and construction were used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted March 13, 2017 Share #27 Posted March 13, 2017 ... and cheaper materials and construction were used. In this case, too, might use of pot metal had a relationship with war time saving of better materials for combat service? Junk metal becomes pot metal, and saves true steel, aluminum, bronze, copper alloys etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted March 13, 2017 Author Share #28 Posted March 13, 2017 In this case, too, might use of pot metal had a relationship with war time saving of better materials for combat service? Yes, prioritizing strategic materials was a big deal during the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted April 11, 2017 Author Share #29 Posted April 11, 2017 Anybody have a nice B-26 Marauder control wheel in their collection? If so, then you have a rare piece. Not too many have survived. Attached are examples of both the later (rounded) and early (cross) wheels used in the Marauder. I'm not sure what the break point was was for introducing the later version. Cockpit shots of the Marauders exist with pilot/co-pilot wheels both of the early design, both of the late design, or a mix of the two with the early wheel being on the co-pilot's side. The late model wheel design also saw use on the post-war P4M "Mercator". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Jack Posted April 11, 2017 Share #30 Posted April 11, 2017 Both interesting and informative. Thanks for showing. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted April 12, 2017 Author Share #31 Posted April 12, 2017 Both interesting and informative. Thanks for showing. Jack Thank you Jack. I'm trying to generate some interest in this niche corner of aero-collectibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted April 29, 2017 Author Share #32 Posted April 29, 2017 Hi All: Anyone out there have Boeing B-50 control wheel? Later B-17s, B-29s, C/KC-97s and B-50s all used the same basic "American Hard Rubber" model AC-168 wheel. But there are variations on the same basic theme used in each of these four aircraft. Those variations are mainly in the engraved lettering and in the switches that were mounted. The C/KC-97 wheels had pads molded into the hard rubber coating, on the rear of the stalks, for mounting autopilot disconnect switches. Which of the pads was drilled/opened determined whether it was mounted in the pilot's or co-pilot's position. It was somewhat the same for a B-50 wheel, but the B-50 had no molded pads and used a different switch mounting scheme from the C/KC-97. Photos of the aircraft commander's wheels attached: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatl Posted May 17, 2017 Share #33 Posted May 17, 2017 Yeah, well, your photo of the link with the Beech wheel certainly suggests you're right about the possibility! Thanks for that photo of the Link with the Beech wheel. I've been in a couple of Links and have probably seen a half dozen at various locations over the decades. That photo is the first I've seen with that control wheel. Just wondering, is your wheel is made of an aluminum alloy (IE: light weight) or is it a heavier metal? My Link wheel is about the size/shape of a Lockheed Hudson/Ventura wheel but far heavier. I think it's basically a pot-metal casting. Since Link wheels were never intended for flight, weight didn't matter and cheaper materials and construction were used. From the look and heft, I'd say that my wheel is magnesium. Magnesium gets used in a few odd parts for weight savings but no production aircraft has really made extensive use of it. The military kind of soured on magnesium for airframe parts due to corrosion but there were many aircraft engine accessory cases and nose cases made of magnesium that gave many years of service. I recall a story of a WWII aircraft found underwater and contrary to expectations, the steel crankshaft was not a hunk of rust. The magnesium case components had been acting like anode rods, protecting the crankshaft from corroding severely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted June 11, 2017 Author Share #34 Posted June 11, 2017 From the look and heft, I'd say that my wheel (post #25; 3.12.2017) is magnesium. Magnesium gets used in a few odd parts for weight savings but no production aircraft has really made extensive use of it. The military kind of soured on magnesium for airframe parts due to corrosion but there were many aircraft engine accessory cases and nose cases made of magnesium that gave many years of service. I recall a story of a WWII aircraft found underwater and contrary to expectations, the steel crankshaft was not a hunk of rust. The magnesium case components had been acting like anode rods, protecting the crankshaft from corroding severely. In the end, I'd say you've made a reasonably good case that Link built some of their (multi-engine) trainers with the Beech wheel, and that they were made from light weight alloys. The photo in your posting #22 looks much like my wheel out of a Beech D18. With the exception that yours has a simple round mounting. All of the wheels I've seen over the years that came from flying aircraft have the mounting shown in the pix below....with variations in the center cap design. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share #35 Posted August 9, 2017 Earlier in this thread I posted some photos of the control wheel out of a Douglas A26 Invader that I restored. It was noted the same wheel design was used in several aircraft. The first two pix below are of the wheel in my collection that came out of a Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon. The next two pix are of a wheel of the same design, different switchology, from a North American B-45 Tornado—this one is not in my collection…wish it was. The B-45 was a contemporary of the Boeing B-47. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted August 9, 2017 Author Share #36 Posted August 9, 2017 When new, it's likely the B-45 wheel above mounted the nice gold-toned (and seldom seen) North-American center cap in the following pix. Got lucky on Ebay awhile back and added this one to my collection. I think the same cap got mounted to the wheels of the North American AJ-2 Savage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohawkALSE Posted August 16, 2017 Share #37 Posted August 16, 2017 So I recently randomly came across across a yoke the seller was clueless on that I recognized from the flight manual. Picked up the yoke from a USAF Cessna O-2A. I tend to like less popular aircraft so of course I was all over getting this and surprised no one else bid on it. Neat FAC aircraft, the yoke is pretty no frills, has a Radio XMT and ICS switch, Elevator UP DN trim switch and a guarded Wing Stores trigger. Only the FAC O-2A had that setup, the O-2B for psyops only has a Radio switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted August 16, 2017 Share #38 Posted August 16, 2017 ^ That, is very excellent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted August 17, 2017 Author Share #39 Posted August 17, 2017 So I recently randomly came across a yoke the seller was clueless on, that I recognized from the flight manual. Picked up the yoke from a USAF Cessna O-2A. I tend to like less popular aircraft so of course I was all over getting this and surprised no one else bid on it. Neat FAC aircraft, the yoke is pretty no frills, has a Radio XMT and ICS switch, Elevator UP DN trim switch and a guarded Wing Stores trigger. Only the FAC O-2A had that setup, the O-2B for psyops only has a Radio switch. Nice buy mohawkALSE. That overall wheel style was used on many "period" civilian Cessnas like the 172/182/210/337. But the left seater's wheel in the O-2 was unique in that the left stalk was thickened to accommodate the extra switches in the military variant. Gotta get one of those for my collection..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohawkALSE Posted August 17, 2017 Share #40 Posted August 17, 2017 Figured Id show the -1 showing it. I thought it was a very unique and pretty rare find despite not being too old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share #41 Posted November 26, 2017 For some, collecting the hub covers or center caps from old aircraft control wheels is a hobby unto itself. Awhile back I bought a rather ratty but salvageable wheel cap from a B-29 bomber. Decided to do an inverse restoration on it. Meaning I reversed the colors. Boeing caps were black with Silver lettering when new. But on most of the caps in existence the lens with the engraving has turned yellow. Making the silver paint look like it's gold instead. Here are the "before" shots: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted November 26, 2017 Author Share #42 Posted November 26, 2017 And here are the "after" shots: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted December 6, 2017 Author Share #43 Posted December 6, 2017 Here's a nice grouping of caps having variations on the Boeing "135" theme. Still need to pick up an EC-135 cap if someone knows of one laying around..... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted March 7, 2018 Author Share #44 Posted March 7, 2018 Here's an interesting control wheel not often seen, from a later version of the Douglas C-124 Globemaster. Earlier versions of the aircraft used the same wheel as the C-54/DC-4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian_ Posted March 11, 2018 Share #45 Posted March 11, 2018 Nice yoke there. The handles look to lean forward quite a bit. Not the usual 'flat' shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted January 10, 2019 Author Share #46 Posted January 10, 2019 Here are some photos of the control wheel from another 1950s Douglas product, the B-66 Destroyer. Very few of these survived to find their way into the hands of collectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluehawk Posted January 10, 2019 Share #47 Posted January 10, 2019 This is such an amazingly fine thread. Thank you, from anyone who has ever touched or even seen an aircraft stick or wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share #48 Posted January 11, 2019 Thank you. I'm trying to drum up some interest in this rather cool (even if it is arcane) area of collecting aero militaria. I consider the control wheel/yoke/stick to be the heart of an aircraft since (independent of the autopilot and throttles/engine) all flight commands pass from the pilot through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InvaderHistoricalFoundatio Posted February 18, 2019 Share #49 Posted February 18, 2019 Was hoping this thread would generate some posts from others who have an interesting control wheel, column/yoke or (hub) cap in their collection. Perhaps it will in time. Meanwhile, thought I'd post some shots of this wheel from an A-26 (later re-designated B-26) Invader. They show the wheel in the as-bought, in-process and restored conditions. Often, a control wheel of a given design got used in several aircraft. This same wheel design was used on more aircraft than any wheel design I'm aware of. It was used on the North American B-45 Tornado, Northrop B-35 Flying Wing, Northrop P-61 Black Widow, Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon and on the Convair R3Y Tradewind flying boat. Anyone out there know of other wheel designs used in multiple aircraft? In the early 1960s a bunch of A-26's were rebuilt and modernized by On-Mark Aviation. One of the mods some of them carried was a new wheel....which was the same as the one used the the Lockheed C-130. a26-1.jpg a26-6.JPG a26-20 -.jpg Swifter, that's an amazing job you did there! I've got a blank/unfinished control yoke for an A-26 coming next week. I'm hoping to complete it for display in my Invader museum. Can you give me some tips on how you restored yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifter Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share #50 Posted March 5, 2019 Swifter, that's an amazing job you did there! I've got a blank/unfinished control yoke for an A-26 coming next week. I'm hoping to complete it for display in my Invader museum. Can you give me some tips on how you restored yours? Hi IHF: I responded to you with a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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