Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Toronto, Ontario
de Havilland Vampire
de Havilland DH.100 Vampire, RCAF (Serial No. 17067), No. 411 "County of York" Squadron (Auxiliary), Toronto, Ontario
The de Havilland Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the RAF, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first to be powered by a single jet engine.
Development of the Vampire as an experimental aircraft began in 1941 during the Second World War, to exploit the revolutionary innovation of jet propulsion. From the company's design studies, it was decided to use a single-engine, twin-boom aircraft, powered by the Halford H.1 turbojet (later produced as the "Goblin"). Aside from its propulsion system and twin-boom configuration, it was a relatively conventional aircraft. In May 1944 it was decided to produce the aircraft as an interceptor for the Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1946 the Vampire entered operational service with the RAF, only months after the war had ended.
The Vampire quickly proved to be effective and was adopted as a replacement of wartime piston-engined fighter aircraft. During its early service it accomplished several aviation firsts and achieved various records, such as being the first jet aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Vampire remained in front-line RAF service until 1953 when it was progressively reassigned to various secondary roles, such as ground attack and pilot training, for which specialist variants were produced. The RAF retired the Vampire in 1966 when its final role of advanced trainer was filled by the Folland Gnat. The Royal Navy had also adapted the type as the Sea Vampire, a navalised variant suitable for operations from aircraft carriers. It was the service's first jet fighter.
The Vampire was exported to a wide variety of nations and was operated worldwide in numerous theatres and climates. Several countries deployed the type in combat during conflicts, including the Suez Crisis, the Malayan Emergency, and the Rhodesian Bush War. By the end of production, almost 3,300 Vampires had been manufactured, a quarter of these having been manufactured under licence in several other countries.
The layout of the DH.100 used a single jet engine installed in an egg-shaped fuselage which was primarily composed of plywood for the forward section and aluminium throughout the aft section. It was furnished with conventional mid-mounted straight wings; air brakes were installed on the wings to slow the aircraft, a feature that had also been incorporated in the Meteor. Armament comprised four 20 mm Hispano Mk V cannon located underneath the nose; from the onset of the design phase, even when the aircraft was officially intended to serve only as an experimental aircraft, the provision for the cannon armament had been included.
In 1946, a single Vampire F.1 began operating on an evaluation basis in Canada at the Winter Experimental Establishment in Edmonton. The Vampire F.3 was selected as one of two types of operational fighters for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and was first flown in Canada on 17 January 1948 where it went into service as a Central Flying School training aircraft at RCAF Station Trenton. Operating a total of 86 aircraft, the Vampire F.3 became the first jet fighter to enter RCAF service in any significant numbers.
The Vampire had the function of introducing Canadian fighter pilots not only to jet propulsion, but also to other amenities such as cockpit pressurisation and the tricycle landing gear arrangement. It proved to be a popular aircraft, being easy to fly and often considered a "hot rod". In Canadian service, the Vampire served in both operational and air reserve units (400, 401, 402, 411, 438 and 442 squadrons). During the late 1950s, the type was retired and was replaced in RCAF service by the Canadair Sabre. Wikipedia
After retirement, 26 of the surplus RCAF Vampires were sold to the Formetal Division of Fliteways Inc., West Bend, Wisconsin, USA in 1958. Another 4 airframes were to provide spares. Aerial Blight Control, also of West Bend, refurbished 15 Vampires for sale to the Mexican Air Force starting in 1959. The FAM operated the Vampires until about 1970. Several of the remaining Vampires purchased by Fliteways found their way to the US civil market. Some may now be found in museums in Mexico, the U.S. or Canada.
Wikipedia de Havilland Vampire
Harold A Skaarup Web Page
YouTube de Havilland Vampire
de Havilland Vampire - Kestrel Publications
CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF Owned (86) RCAF Leased (23) RCAF 400 Squadrons (99) Canadian Crewed (103) Canadian Museum (8)Vampire Mk. III 17081
RAF serial VP782 assigned but never applied. With No. 402 Sqn, Stevenson Field, MB, 1948 to 1950. Operated by No. 411 (Aux) Sqn and No. 400 (Aux) Sqn, RCAF Stn Downsview, ON, in early/mid 1950s. While assigned to 401 Sqn on 17 Jun 1949, the a/c settled back onto the runway after the gear retraction; the a/c was recovered safely with minor damage. Then on 4 August 1949, the a/c suffered a "B" Category crash when during the final approach to land, the pilot inadvertently raised the landing gear instead of selecting the speed brakes. While assigned to 1 (F) OTU in Chatham, NB, a loss of brake pressure while taxiing led to a ground collision with a Harvard aircraft. Again while at Chatham, on 31 Dec 1951 during a formation take-off for a cine-camera exercise, a/c ran off the starboard side of the runway in order to avoid the leader on take-off and damaging the starboard u/c when it hit a snowbank and then went airborne. The pilot then made a wheels up landing causing Category "B" damage. On 29 Nov 1953, the aircraft disappeared over Lake Ontario while commencing a let down through cloud at 4,000 ft. The a/c crashed into 350 ft of water off Whitby ON, and only small debris was recovered. Operated by No. 400 Sqn. at time of crash. Flying Officer R.W. Russell was killed in the crash.source: Kestrel Publications
1948-07-05 Taken on Strength 2019-08-20
1953-12-29 Struck off Strength after Cat. "A" crash 2024-01-23
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