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Clean and inspect the cockpit, checking for and addressing any corrosion, structural issues and any safety concerns.Complete 15/01/25 -
Make the cockpit more portable - add wheels/casters or some sort of trailer/dolly. She’s currently sitting on a wooden pallet and can be moved with a pallet truck but this won’t be a good long term solution.
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Paint - inside and out. XL609 served with a number of RAF squadrons in many colour schemes. Her 56 Squadron markings with the Phoenix/Firebird rising from the ashes seem the most appropriate motif for the project, but ‘609 is currently missing the nose which would display that badge so I’m leaning towards keeping her final 12 Squadron colour scheme, restoring the fox badge as a focal point. I may also consider a hybrid scheme as the red and white scheme she wore with 4 FTS is very attractive.
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(Re)fit Canopy. This will be the first major challenge as the hinge mechanism is absent so a replacement will have to be devised, it would be great to have this as a powered system.
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Internal restoration and conversion to simulator. This will be a sympathetic conversion, carried out with the minimum of disruption to the remaining original structure and using as many original Hunter parts as possible.
I’m considering various options, subject to parts availability. Whilst I would love to restore the cockpit with functioning mechanical instruments this would likely be prohibitive in both time and cost. As this is a T7 trainer with duplicated instruments I am considering using original, non functional instruments on one main panel with a replica panel showing the instruments reproduced on a screen on the other. I’m also currently investigating the aircraft’s history as there is some evidence that despite being built as a standard T7, XL609 might have been fitted with the IFIS instruments for Lightning and Buccaneer training as per the T7A and T8 models.
To display the ‘outside world’ I’m considering a either a projector setup (which requires space) or VR/AR (Augmented Reality) headsets (still a new technology) The simulator will be static but I plan to integrate bass transducers and force feedback controls to provide feedback and add immersion.