What is this? [Airplane part]
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What is the vertical bar and cable between the cockpit and tail section called? What is the exact purpose? I think it is for stabilizing the tail but I am not sure.
Thanks.
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It´s the rod antenna mast.
With wire to the rudder. -
As seen here: http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/spitfire-masts-and-aerials.html/2
Are you working on Spitfire?
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Excellent, thanks.
Not a Spitfire but another beast. Keep an eye out for the next CatchUp issue
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I've always had a love for old WW2 planes. I hope you're working on the Mustang Boofredlay.
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Looking forward to seeing it Eric.
Bigboy 2 flies again.
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Eric, FWIW, the wire is the antenna and is not there to stabilize the vertical stabilizer.
Here's a close up of how it attached to the rudder.
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HF TR9 antenna (air/ground communications radio). This would likely be an early model Spitfire, as later ones began eliminating the wire, then parts of the aerial masts as they moved from HF to VHF and added IFF and other features.
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Thanks again guys.
An interesting thing I was looking over Daniel Simon's Flicker page last month and saw some great photographs. Not only is he a fantastic designer but a great photographer. There was an aircraft (Fouga Magister) in one of his photos with what looked like handles on the nose. I did some research and found out that it was an antennae. Now how could I find that out but not about the Spitfire antennae???
Here is the photo and a document that details the antennae, p27 & p77.
http://salamanca.khbo.be:8080/doks/do/files/FiSe8a8199820e31b83d010e36bba18a0085/Eindwerk_KHBO.pdf;jsessionid=48F2A661F7E7300D7BF6726BD4242048?recordId=SKHB8a8199820e31b83d010e36bba18a0084
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Those are antennae for the VOR received while the one on the spit was for communications. You could have both on your airplane. I haven't thought about VORs for a long time. It was kind of fun navigating by them or flying a VOR approach.
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I repaired/maintained a fouga magister. The irish airforce had 4 but now they're only used as ornaments. Pilots would say if they had to eject it meant death. Instant collision with stabiliser as you need to turn plane upside down and fall out.
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