Well this is it. I have entered the ethereal world of blogging. Pleasingly, there is a real world behind it, and I am going to start by looking at an aspect of the Vampire F.30 and FB.31 cockpit – the fuel gauge panel. The single-seat Vampire instrument panels are largely standard parts across various marks, the fuel gauge panel being a good example. As such, the same panel was used in the early single-seaters and the late-service configuration. In the former, the panel carried five fuel gauges and the clock. In the latter, the panel carried just the five fuel gauges; the basic panel assembly is the same, so for the late configuration the clock hole was empty. (The clock was moved to where the film footage counter for the G.45 gun camera used to be.)

The basic panel was made from Tufnol and had two aluminium reinforcing angles riveted to the vertical edges. The panel also carried descriptive placards and wiring junction boxes.

The five fuel gauges are as follows (indicator values in gallons):

Description     Range/Capacity     Stores ID                        Smiths ID        Panel Location

Port Outer       0 – 57/65               G6A/1969 or /2588          1352FG          Lower Left

Port Inner      0 – 47/52               G6A/2039 or /2587          1351FG          Upper Left

Main               0 – 80/96               G6A/3661 or /2580          1350FG          Top Centre

Stbd Inner     0 – 47/52               G6A/2039 or /2587          1351FG          Upper Right

Stbd Outer      0 – 57/65               G6A/1969 or /2588          1352FG          Lower Right

4 Jan 2013: fix: gauges were wrong way round for inbd and outbd.