AIRCRAFT

De Havilland DH-100 Vampire

The De Havilland Vampire and its Goblin engine began life as an integrated airframe and engine design. A specification was written around the project and design work on the airframe began early in 1941. The twin-boom configuration was chosen because it provided for short intakes and tailpipe. The early jet engines were low on thrust, and any further losses of power were to be avoided. The pilot was placed in front of the wooden nacelle giving him superb view. The rest of the airframe was of conventional all-metal design. The engine was run for the first time in April of 1942, and the first flight of the new aircraft took place in September 1943. The test program went exceptionally well. The only major concerns were marginal directional stability and aileron snatching, which were cured by revised fin and aileron design. With the bugs ironed out, the Vampire had good performance and delightful handling. The first production Vampire flew in April 1945, too late for the aircraft to take part in WWII. The Vampire saw service with the RAF and several foreign air forces after the war. The good handling of the aircraft made for a reasonably smooth transition into the jet age. It was also built under license in Australia, France, Italy, India and Switzerland, where it was operational into the 1980's. A total of 1979 were built.

The SHF Vampire, SE-DXY, is a Mk 6 built by Pilatus in Switzerland in 1952. It flew with the Swiss Air Force until it was sold on auction in 1990. This is where SHF acquired the aircraft whitch was in excellent condition. The only work needed to be done was to install civilian avionics and repainting. The Swiss "Pinocchio" nose was replaced with an original blunt version donated by the Norwegian Technical Museum. It was painted in the colours of RAF 112 Squadron. Later, it was repainted in the colours of the Swedish Air Force. It has flown in many airshows since it joined SHF in the 1991 season, thrilling people with the characteristic sound of the centrifugal flow engine at high speed. It is based in Halmstad, Sweden, and looked after by the Swedish SHF contingent.