1954 De Havilland Vampire

[Guernsey]

what a great story it would make. a young bloke from cecil plains with a giant dream to take on the best and fastest at reno."world's fastest vampire"

 

I vote ryan gosling to play tomo

 

Why would we need this guy....Tomo's better looking.

 

 

[Bandit12]

Hells Bells, Talk about nightmares coming back to haunt you. This was the aircraft I went hard left in and put into a culvet in 1964, port brake unit frozen on.Bob.

Hey Bob

 

Do you recall a Noel Vonhoff from that time period? I believe he was a Navy pilot on Vampires at a similar time. I went to school with his son.

 

Cheers

 

Shane

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Why would we need this guy....Tomo's better looking.

perhaps your character could be written in as the one that gives him the money to buy the plane?

 

 

[David Isaac]

Bit of a restoration project for someone who's keen! http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/RAN-1954-Havilland-Vampire-aircraft-RAF-Cockpit-A79-840-RAF-/170770779777?pt=AU_Aircraft&hash=item27c2bb4e81#ht_500wt_1219

Tell him hes dreamin'

 

 

[Guest pookemon]

Hi Turbo, oh yes, maybe we should merge this thread with the cought short thead,ha ha.This project would be a very expensive one, I know a reco engine 2 years ago in the USA cost $1M, then the conversion to electric start, the Navy aircraft did not have the benifit of that, can not see being able to get the "Coffmann" cardridges made now. I could see a couple of issues just from the photos on ebay that are months and months of work to fix.

 

As well do not know the condition of the plywood cockpit area either?

 

Bob.

Plywood? Bah it'll be fine. It was stored in the incredibly dry Ballarat climate for years!

 

I'm surprised there's anything more than a pile of paint...

 

I saw the Vampire listed a while ago (there's also a Neptune listed on ebay too - from Dubbo). But of all the assorted aircraft (and Commodores) listed under "Aircraft" on Ebay - this was the one that I thought would be the best project of all...

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/helicopter-home-made-unfinished-project-/170749478855

 

It still makes me laugh...

 

 

[Wayne T Mathews]

Longest word in the Australian language? yagottaavasenzayumamate:rofl:

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Shane,

 

Yes I do remember him,sort of, I think he was at 805 Sqdn,Venoms then he was off to Canberra but I as a midshipman had little to do with him, as at that time he was a Commander,we both were on different paths, he was more management and me learning the ropes and trying not to kill myself. From my copy of the September 1965 Navy list I was back to the Naval Collage . I think from memory I was back at the collage for some navigation or aircraft application course or other, got my Sub Lt. promotion soon after that and did 2 years at sea.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Guernsey]

As a young aircraft spotter I always new the differences between the Vampire and the Sea Venom but never new why the wings on the Venom had a straight trailing edge on the wing whereas the Vampire's tapered forward. I presumed it had something to do with performance required for carrier landings but never really new why.

 

Could you guys enlighten me.

 

Alan.

 

 

[dazza 38]

LOL that chopper is just as bad as the dude wanting originally $14 000 for a Javelin.

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Alan,

 

It was because of a combination of developments that ended with the FAW53 version we had inported into Australia, our versions went from 53/53A to I think 56/59. The first was fitting bigger fuel tanks (Venom F3 version- ghoast 102 engine)that made the aircraft unstable with 1/2 full tanks, a thinner wing profile for higher speed(F5 to F9- ghoast 104 engine), clipped wings and hard points for rockets and bombs for ground attack, larger flaps and airbrakes, arrestor hook, larger undercarrage and extended oleos for carrier landings, larger engines, converting to 2 seat requiring more strength in fuselage and redesign of wing stubs, issues with tail and stability/control imputs at high speed, turbulance from the extra air intakes, blanketing of main intakes for the Ghoast 105 engine and last but not least fitting the American radar AN/APQ65 and fitting of bubble canopy that could be ejected underwater. The other handy thing was most wings /tail booms from most veriants were interchangable between venom and vampire of the same versions, the only way to keep variants parts together was the DeHavaland part number system. The RAAF fitted another "brand" of engine in thier aircraft but i did not have anything to do with them so can not comment.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Guernsey]

Thanks for that Icebob, that's a very complete answer if ever I saw one. I wish I'd had that information when I was a 16 year old, boy oh boy that would have certainly impressed my Flying Cadet mates.

 

At sixteen I had the opportunity to have a flight in an RAF Vampire based at Odiham in the UK but chose to fly in a Meteor 7 instead. Had a ball.

 

Alan.

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Alan,

 

Not a problem that were a "nice" aircraft, you get attached to some types or makes and this was one, to fly a bit like stepping from a moden car into an old Austin A30 or Ford Prefect, solid, no frills and a little chunky but with a big bite hidden in the back.

 

There are some good videos on you tube of the Venom/vampire.

 

I think you got the better deal flying in the meteor, it had a better safety record and the ejection seat at that time would of been the early mark 44's and only work at 120 knts and above 2500 feet, very reassuring on a carrier I can tell you. The metior was 90kts and 1000 feet, I know which i would pick.

 

Bob.

 

 

[Guernsey]

Ejection seats???? The one I flew in didn't have any. I sat in the back (of course) and the pilot told me what to do if anything happened to him, I think from memory I had to disconnect something, possibly the oxygen but I'm not sure, thump the middle of my harness to release but make sure I didn't hit the parachute harness release, eject the canopy

 

(can't remember how I was supposed to do that), then kneel on my seat, dive over the side, count slowly to ten then pull the rip cord. Immediately over the side of course was the jet engine intake so I said "won't I get sucked into the engine" to which he responded that I would be swept over the top of the wing to which I replied "won't I hit the tail then" and he said "don't worry, you won't know anything about it". At 16 yrs of age I wasn't phased in the least after all who dies at 16. The flight lasted an hour during which I flew it for about half an hour with no problems except trying to keep it in level flight at 420 knots, I tried to keep it level with the altimeter, I'm sure that damn needle was loose or something. A few years ago I sat in a Meteor 7 in Melbourne, that brought all those memories flooding back.

 

Alan Marriette.

 

PS I used to drive my dad's Austin A30 so I know what you mean, I courted my wife in it.

 

 

[icebob]

Hi Alan,

 

That was an "F1" model the lowest powered, the oldest, and the ones close to fatigue limits, at least the wings didn't fall off, lucky you, bulletproofness(if that is a word) of youth. "Courting" a lady in a venom was not good (tried it), ha, ha, tried it too in an A30:oops:.

 

 

[planedriver]

ha, ha, tried it too in an A30

 

You're not alone there, so did I , hence I still have the crook back.

 

Started teaching my wife how to steer, from London to Brighton and back with me operating the A30 pedals fromthe l/h seat.

 

Finshed the diff off while teaching skid control techniques at a skid pan at Biggin Hill, and there endeth my 19 pound car (5 for the car and 14 for the oustanding rego.

 

Thats enough of my memories, now back to topic.