Classic British Aircraft - De Havilland Vampire

Initially named the ‘Spider Crab’, The prototype DH Vampire was first flown on 20th September 1943. I would become the first RAF aircraft to be able to exceed 500 mph and the first jet aircraft to take off and land from an aircraft carrier.

[@davidmurphy8190]

As long as British aircraft appear in model kits, they will live on. It is a shame that more British aircraft do not exist in American air museum collections. I love them.

[@fryertuck6496]

Until Google and YT scrub all of this and try to tell everyone that some black African made it! Same as they have done withe "great inventors" in Google.

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@fryertuck6496wtf you crying about? 😂😂 Found the scared little weak boy.😂

[@johnjephcote7636]

Before 1952 I lived on the boundary of De Havilland's engine facility at Leavesden. All day long we could hear the vampire engines being run up then shut down.

[@mikep4566]

I grew up there, 1972 to 1992. It was Rolls Royce then, making helicopter engines. Had a great annual air show, I saw Vulcan there once. Now it's Harry Potter World. In the Book of Watford is a pic of my Uncle and Aunt, in air shows then (50's or 60's I guess) they were doing pleasure flights between Leavesden and their sister facility at Hatfield.

[@rogerlishman2532]

I did my airframe trade test on the Vampire. It was in September 1975 at the former Atlas Aircraft Corporation in South Africa. If I remember, I had to do aileron rigging with cable tensions, and remove and install a flap actuator, among other tasks. It was an old South African Air Force aircraft, and there were loads of airframe components on which the apprentices could train. Bet they'd be worth a bob or two if they were still avaliable.

[@BK-uf6qr]

Beautiful aircraft. Pure joy and imagination.

[@thomasdoubting]

In the summer of 99 I was half asleep and bored out of my skull when I heard a noise over head, glanced out the window and there it was... -IT'S A VAMPIRE ‼️ ...stupid work meeting, no one shared my enthusiasm...

[@davidrobertson5700]

Harry Enfield being serious

[@allgood6760]

Nice one mate... we operated Vampire planes with our RNZAF and there is a Vampire in a museum near me✈️🇳🇿

[@evilelf5967]

got to hand it to de-havilland...they turned out some very robust aircraft...lovely old bird.

[@andrewcliffe4753]

One flew past me in a Cessna at a only maybe 30m distance way back, seemed insanely fast at that distance.

[@adrianrosenlund-hudson8789]

I saw a Vampire flying whilst waiting to board a flight to England from Västerås airport. I think there's two flying examples here in Sweden. There's one in the local museum air display

[@capt.freeman6777]

Got to see one of the airshow this weekend what a treat it was

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

Beautiful Aircraft. You know something is well made when it's operator or Pilot describe it like a extension of there body . You also know they feel everything the machine does . Just like my Freinds and I the run excavators. You can feel the ground your digging hard or soft and how much power to use digging.

[@typhoon2827]

To be fair the young bloke looks like he's been extending his body at Gregg's. Any more and he won't fit his flying suit.

[@toomanyuserids]

It looks like really nice to fly in good weather. Great visibility, tri gear, straight line thrust, sure that engine doesn't spool up like later ones but lots of control authority.

[@moejaime2654]

OLD GOATS TALKING ABOUT OLD PLANES !

[@anselmdanker9519]

Lovely I built a kit years ago.

[@alanwitton5980]

Great British aircraft

[@1978sjt]

is that Richard Ayoade narrating?

[@alangordon3283]

No.

[@magna4100]

@@alangordon3283 Quite right,

[@ahmadsantoso9712]

toothless vampire 😄

[@shirleydrury5565]

My woodwork teacher MR Jones flu vampires. He was nice chap he always had a pipe in his mouth. Don’t think he would get away with it today.p.s happy days 😊😊

[@shanebailey9128]

He “Flu” vampires did he?🙉🙉🙉🐒💩💩💩💩💩👎👎👎👎

[@alangordon3283]

@@shanebailey9128grammar fascist

[@davidboon5906]

Harry Enfield the comedian big fly guy 😎

[@garrington120]

Such an awful shame that the original 2 goblin engines , the Halford H2 which was being flown in the Vampire prototype in 1943 was GIVEN to ( demanded ) the Americans for their Lockheed P 80 Shooting Star prototypes in 1944 which the Yanks blew up or crashed so delaying the progress of the Vampire in 1944 which should have been in RAF service alongside the Meteor in 1944. The Vampire was by far a superior plane to the Meteor Mk 1 and 3 s

[@garrington120]

RUBBISH !! The Goblin was originally the Halford H1 designed by Halford and the Vampire was held back due to the only 2 Halford H 1 s were gifted to the bloody yanks to use on their prototypes of the Lockheed P 80 Shooting Star . The yanks fked up the 2 engines which held back the development of the Vampire that could have entered service shortly after the Meteor but was held back until early 1946 .TELL THE WHOLE STORY FOR GODS SAKE !!!

[@alangordon3283]

It’s the same engine FOR GODS SAKE. DeHavilland bought Halford to set up the engine department with Halford as the chairman . FOR GODS SAKE 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🙄

[@garrington120]

@@alangordon3283 what point are you trying to make BADLY!!

[@magna4100]

The "whole story" hasn't been approved by the WEF.