de Havilland D.H.100 Vampire 3

  • Period: Postwar (1945-1959)
  • Uses: Fighter
  • First Flight: September 20, 1943
  • Display Status: On the Museum Floor.

Production of the Vampire started just too late for Second World War. This very successful design was produced in several versions and flew with the air forces of more than 15 countries. In 1948 it was the first Jet fighter to enter the Royal Canadian Air Force. Here, as in other air forces, it introduced fighter pilots not only to jet flying, but also to cockpit pressurization and the tricycle landing gear. A simple rugged design, the last Vampires were not phased out of the Swiss Air Force until the late 1980s.

In developing the Vampire, de Havilland applied its expertise in wood construction to manufacture a fuselage of the same type of plywood/balsa wood sandwich used in the Mosquito. The Vampire’s twin-boom configuration enabled the jet tail pipe to remain short in order to extract as much thrust as possible from the somewhat low-powered engines of the day. The prototype sea Vampire was the first jet aircraft to fly from an aircraft carrier.

Museum Example

  • Registration #: 17074 (RCAF)
  • Manufacturer: English Electric Company Ltd., Great Britain
  • Manufacture Date: 1948
  • Construction #: EEP 42392
  • Aquisition Date: 1964
  • Provenance: Transfer from RCAF

Manufactured in 1948, this Vampire served with RCAF fighter squadrons and an operational training unit until stored in 1956. It was transferred to the Museum in 1964.

Specifications

Wing Span:
12.2 m (40 ft)
Length:
9.4 m (30 ft 9 in)
Height:
2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
Weight, Empty:
3,235 kg (7,134 lb)
Weight, Gross:
5,430 kg (11,970 lb)
Cruising Speed:
Unknown
Max Speed:
855 km/h (530 mph)
Rate of Climb:
1,325 m (4,350 ft) /min
Service Ceiling:
13,260 m (43,500 ft)
Range:
1,175 km (730 mi)
Power Plant:
one de Havilland Goblin 2, centrifugal flow turbojet engine, 1,405 kg (3,100 lb) static thrust