de Havilland Vampire

Type Two-seat fighter-bomber and advanced trainer
Manufacturer de Havilland
Maiden flight 20 September 1943
Introduced RAF, April 1945
Retired 1955 (RAF fighter version), 1966 (RAF trainer version), 1979 (Rhodesian Air Force)
Primary users RAF (about 1900 fighter version, 731 trainer version), Fleet Air Arm (about 90), RAAF and RAN, (109 fighter version, 109 trainer version), Switzerland (310), numerous other countries including France (250), Italy (over 100), RNZAF (25)
Number built 3,268 (de Havilland UK)
Variants Sud-Est SE 535 Mistral (license-built French version)
Sea Vampire
Venom (enlarged with uprated engine)

Some views of the display:
Front view
Side view
(wide-angle)
Cockpit
The Vampire on display pre-museum

The Aircraft On Display

The Vampire in the Museum is an Australian-built T35A trainer version, has construction number 4101, and was in RAAF service as A79-821. It is recorded as being donated to the Museum on 28 May 1970 (See the References section), a date before the Museum's establishment, and appears to have been displayed in the open for some years (See photo 4, above).

Type History

The Vampire was the second jet aircraft to enter RAF service, just one month before the end of World War II in Europe, and as a result did not see active service at the time. After the war, it was used for a number of development and demonstration projects, becoming the first jet aircraft to make a landing on and takeoff from an aircraft carrier.

The Vampire saw its first active service in Malaya, being used against insurgents in the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was also used in the Rhodesian (Zimbabwe) civil war of 1979.

The RAAF operated the fighter bomber version from 1948. Between 1955 to 1960, it was progressively replaced by the CAC-27 Sabre.

The first trainer version, the T11, commenced service with the RAF in 1950. Most nations who flew the fighter bomber version also used the trainer, and Australia manufactured a large number, denoted T33, T34 and T35. These served with the RAAF from 1957 to 1967, operating from Pearce, and several bases in the eastern states.

Specifications

 

FB6 Fighter bomber

    

T11 Trainer

General characteristics

Length: 30 ft 9 in (9.37 m) 34 ft 5 in (10.5 m)
Height: 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Wingspan 38 ft (11.58 m) 38 ft (11.58 m)
Powerplant: de Havilland Goblin 3 centrifugal turbojet, 3,350 lbf (14.90 kN) de Havilland Goblin 35 centrifugal turbojet, 3,500 lbf (15.56 kN)
Weight: empty 7,283 lb (3,304 kg), max takeoff 12,390 lb (5,620 kg) empty 7,380 lb (3,350 kg), maximum loaded 12,920 lb (5,860 kg)


Performance

Maximum speed: 548 mph (882 km/h) 538 mph (866 km/h)
Range: 1,220 mi (1,960 km) 853 mi (1374 km)
Service ceiling:42,800 ft (13,045 m)
Rate of climb: 4,050 ft/min at sea level (20.6 m/s) 4,500 ft/min at sea level(22.9 m/s)


Armament

Cannon: Four 20 mm Two 20 mm
Bomb load: 2,000 lb

References / Links

Wikipedia

Records of RAAF vampires

"The Observer's World Aircraft Directory", William Green (Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd, London, 1961)