This week, we at the Parnall Aircraft Company hosted our second friends and family evening. With over 30 visitors attending, yet again the event was an outstanding success with very positive feedback already coming back to us. These events give us the chance to show off our projects and workmanship to a wider audience and we are very proud to do so. The next event we have planned will be for our industry contacts and will be happening in a few weeks.
Prior to the friends and family event opening, some of the staff here had a chance to sit in the static Spitfire and sample what it would have been like to fly and fight in such an aircraft. Our intern Kian was especially surprised at how cramped it felt and it is very telling how young men of exactly his age would have been flying these aircraft into battle 80 years ago.
Back into the workshop side of things and David and Lawrence have been hard at work forming the fillet piece that fairs the tail into the fuselage spine. This is a very tricky panel to make and required a wooden former to be made before a few days of good old metal bashing to get the shape required.
Over on the wings, Chris has been working on finishing off rib 8, whilst Murphy has been extremely busy drilling a grand total of 1100 holes into the nose skin stiffeners. I think he deserves a break from the pillar drill for a bit! Meanwhile, Laurent and Kian have been working on the components that make up the wheel well area.
Away from the aircraft itself, Paul has been fabricating a prop stand that will allow Tim to start building up the propeller hub assembly, the parts of which he has been preparing and painting. (Images © Parnall Aircraft Company Ltd)
