De Havilland Mosquito Harness for pilot and observer

[Grey Beema]

A quick question about the Seat harness for the pilot?

 

Did the shoulder straps pass through the armour plate behind the seat and then anchor somewhere behind.  If so where did they anchor? If they did not - what was the arrangement?  I assume that the lap straps bolted to the seat sides?

 

The Observers harness - did that anchor on the shelf behind his seat?

 

Oh I'm converting a NFII to a MkXIII if that makes a difference...

 

Done some googling which is good for the front but does not show anchor points...

[Dave Swindell]

Pilots seat harness

Lap straps bolt to the aft top outer sides of the seat pan

Shoulder straps are individual and the top of each is connected side by side to a flat metal bar which tapers towards each end on the sides the straps are connected to (ie it is a very flat triangle)

A steel cable is connected to the middle of the long side of the bar.

The bar is at shoulder height immediately in front of the seat armour and the cable passes through a hole in the armour just below the kink in the armour which extends up behind the head.

Behind the armour the cable passes over a pulley and angles down and to starboard by approx 45 degrees

The cable then goes onto a covered spring return reel bolted to the back of the armour, this is the securing point.

A bowden cable exits from the bottom outboard side of the spring return reel and runs down the starboard edge of the armour plate and along the middle of the outside of the seat pan to the lock/release mechanism.

In flight the pilot could lean forward and the cable would pay out, lean back and the spring would wind the cable back in.

By moving the locking lever on the side of the seat pan the reel could be locked in position.

 

Navigators seat harness

Lap straps were secured either side of the seat squab through into the bomb bay just in front of the seat armour backplate.

The shoulder straps joined together at a metal plate at the top of the lower seat armour, with a cable attached to the other side of the plate.

The cable passed over the lower  seat armour plate (and under the uppper plate if fitted) to another spring return reel fitted to the back of the armour plate in the middle at the top.

The bowden cable to operate the locking mechanism runs down and inboard then forward just inboard of the seat squab to the lever on the top of the front edge of the bomb bay just inboard of the squab.

[Grey Beema]

Excellent thank you @Dave Swindell...  Now to try and emulate that..