A little gauge help needed.

[NCGent]

I need a little help with the identification of a few things in the MB-2 cockpit, any help is greatly appreciated.

[Tom Clayton]

My fist guess on the twin handles between the seats would be hand brakes, since there aren't any toe brakes on the rudder bar.

[Tom Clayton]

I found a higher resolution version of your pic, and the two white buttons on the top left look like they might be starter buttons.

Don't know if you have this, but...
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/sha...-1234S-001.jpg

[lemonadedrinker]

Hi,

http://www.aahs-online.org/index.php

This link is all I have come across and is referring to:

'AAHS Journal Volume 6 (1961)
Table of Contents'

following on from page 169:

and why it's all rust coloured now I have no idea.

Andy.

[Mick]

I have that AAHS Journal and I just looked up the cited article. Alas, it doesn't answer the questions at hand. It tells a lot about period instruments, but nothing about controls, and none of the many cockpit pictures are of the MB-2.

I then went to the members section of the AAHS website and used their search engine to search the entire history of the Journal and came up with nothing useful for the terms MB-2 cockpit, MB-2 instruments, MB-2 controls and a couple others.

My best guess is that the big blue wheel on the lower right of the cockpit is an elevator trim wheel.

I dunno about those lower levers being brakes. That's an awfully odd place to put the brakes. But I must admit that in those days, a lot of airplane controls and instruments were put in odd places... But did the MB-2 even have brakes? In those days most planes didn't...

I have no clue and no guesses about the two items up on the panel.

[Tom Clayton]

I said brakes because I've seen a modern single (can't remember the model) with a castering front wheel and brakes in that position between the seats. I would imagine that they could also be throttles, since the levers on the left would have to be operated by a copilot. But then, that begs the question of what those white levers would be left to do. I'm guessing that in those early days of aviation, there was little standardization in control design.

And if you look closely at the blue "wheel" in the hi-res pick I linked, you'll see that it's not a wheel at all. There are two levers with spring-loaded pins that lock the levers into varying positions along each arc.

[Mick]

The closer we look, the odder it gets!

[Mick]

Here's a thought: ask the Air Force Museum. They have an MB-2.

I should've thought of that right away. When David and I were working on the Gee Bee airplanes we needed information about the instruments and controls of the Model R Super Sportsters. The New England Air Museum has a very authentic replica, so we e-mailed them with our inquiry and told them why we needed to know. They responded promptly and generously.

I'll bet the Air Force Museum (or I should say, the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, to give it it's proper name) would be just as happy to help. After all, preserving and sharing artifacts and information is what museums exist for.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

[NCGent]

Sorry for the late reply guys but been tied up with lifes crap, attempting to get mine back in order.

Thanks for all the responses and ideas and Mick I am going to write them now, thanks a million guys

Chris

[NCGent]