Hi all ......All BE2 machines up to and including early BE2C aircraft , had 3/32" plywood sheet covering , top and bottom , of the rear fuselage section .The single bay under the pilots position was 1/8" ply .The fabric cover went on ,over all of the ply surfaces , sides being laced shut for acces to the wire bracings .
The pilot/observers cockpit pannel (3/32"ply) was fabriced on the BE2c and supposed to be painted battleship grey ...This part was removeable , hence the 1/2 round beading at its lower edge , against which it sits.
Up till the "C" ,the fabric sides came down at the front fuselage portion , slightly curved , via a mid-way stringer , just to as far as the top of the lower longerons ( some like to call these "patterns" ),also fixed by 1/2 round beading , thus , these lower front portion longerons were initially exposed and shelac varnished .
However with the introduction of the "C" , the lower wing was brought back by one fuselage bay , in conjunction with a new non-liftinfg tailplane , and the front portion fuselage fabric was then enabled to continued down to cover these lower longerons . The mid-way stringer was omitted and the sides now made flat .Forward of the plywood , the floor was composed of 1/2" tongue and groove spruce pannelling .
With "low" exhausts , this was protected by ally' sheet .This was not necessary with the introduction of the "high "exhaust system .
BE2A fuselage frames that were otherwise spare or obsolete , were updated to BE2C specs' ,(with plywood sheeting , top & bottom remaining ) ,and additionaly , convertion drawings made for alterations to RAF1 motor replacing the Renault .
The plywood and spruce sheeting served to brace the frame in the horizontal plane on these earlier machines , so that wire bracing was not employed in the horizontal planes on all the BE2 series up till part way through the BE2C production , these frames having much commonality to the earlier "A & B " models .
Later , during it's production , BE2C machines underwent a number of alterations , and , in respect to the fuselage , these included lightened and altered fittings and " Replacement " of the 3/32" ply sheeting of Earlier "C " models , with wire (sic.) horizontal cross bracing , top and bottom .
The actual wires now used were round swaged wires with end forks , as opposed to the 12 swg "piano" wire and turnbuckles of the earlier BE2C 's.
New fuselage drawings were issued , at every stage , for all these changes .
Regards John M
