We have completed the fabrication of the engine mount this month and this has allowed us to install the dummy engine on the airframe. This engine, a dash 35 is mostly identical to the 46 and is holding the exhaust shrouds and cowl dish pan enabling us to begin work on the cowling structure. We can build up the top cowl and the structure to support that, but are unable to proceed much further until we take delivery of the oil tank.

We have now fully completed the elevator and trim tabs with construction of the left tab now finished. We have installed the elevator and tabs to the aircraft and checked the travels and clearances. The elevator hinge blocks have been shimmed as required to achieve smooth travel The rigging has been checked also and the tab horn fairings have been fabricated. The tab operating rods have now also been fabricated and the complete assembly is ready to be fabric covered.

Work continues on the cockpit equipment with the detailing of the remaining placards. We have temporarily installed the fixed instrument panel to check the mountings. Various instruments have been fitted as have the refurbished blind flying shock mounts. The overhauled toggle switches for the nav lights and generator have been fitted and the repairs to the fuel contents gauge push buttons are now complete as is the compass card holder. The engine Ki-Gas primer has been installed.

The blind flying panel has been overhauled and the instruments fitted up to enable us to assemble the correct pipework and fittings. The vacuum and pitot/static lines are all sorted now and the instrument fronts have all been over coated in Matt black to give a nice uniform finish.

The rigid conduit pipework for the upward and downward indent lights running from the keying switch down the R/H side wall of the cockpit to frames 10 and 12 has been fabricate and installed. The gunbsight mount has been overhauled as has the radiator flap lever and ratchet assembly. We have fabricated the missing mounts for the radio controller where it mounts to the left cockpit coaming and clip bracketry for the wiring.

The elevator trim system has been completed with new elevator stops, trim cable attachment pins and fairleads in the aft fuselage frames also completed. The system has been trial rigged.

The overhaul of the seat is now complete with the finalisation of the upgraded harness attachment and installation. The shoulder harness attachment cables have been ordered and the new harness has been fitted to the seat frame and the complete seat assembly trial fitted to the aircraft.

Both canon bay doors with the Hispano gun blisters fitted have been completed as have all the other wing access panels. The gun panels have been fitted with Dzus fasteners to improve serviceability but the ammo panels retain the original Oddie fasteners.

Work has begun on the wing to fuselage fairings and the fixed fairings on the rear fuselage hve been fitted.

Work has also begun modifying the exhausts from the Fairey Battle configuration to the Spitfire V configuration. Same basic exhaust, but requires an alignment change to suit the different fuselage profile.

We have begun to assemble the prop and have decided to repaint the hub. The old paint has been stripped off, the hub inspected and new paint applied.