New Vampire/Venom pods

Having read the log books for an early FB6, some of them were flown for little more than a check flight once a year. Changing the spars, with a plentiful supply isn’t especially difficult, but you need a supply!

In theory, there’s no reason why you couldn’t build a pod from composites, and as suggested, it would be an excellent project for students. I think I’d re-engine it at the same time!

Bruce

1200 hrs?? How did the Swiss keep them flying with such low spar life?

Re-engineering a Vampire/Venom pod in modern composites whilst addressing the spar fatigue life issue sounds like a wonderful university project. Done right the students would also learn an awful lot about (frustrations of) the certification process as well.

Ok, having seen those pictures, they have a real job on their hands. The pod looks to have collapsed forward of the rear cockpit bulkhead. I would be very surprised if it didn’t fall apart when moved. I think the paint is holding it together. Sad. Plenty of people have tried to recover a pod from this sort of state, but you need to build it as per the original, or it ends up a bit like a threepenny bit.

The spars are made from thick walled, high strength T50. They have a life of something silly like 1200 hrs. They are the heart of the aircraft.

That’s the post that made me wonder about new pods 🙂

Oddly enough, over on WIX there is a recent post about some students trying to save a long parked Vampire.

http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=56593

Interesting 🙂 Can you elaborate on the spars? What are they made from?

The wood isn’t the issue. The spars at the rear of the pod have a pretty short life, and are made from unobtainium. That isn’t so important if the aircraft is flying on condition, but is in the UK. There are quite a few potential flyers around, with decent wood, but the cost of an overhaul would be more than the value of the aeroplane, so they stay on terra firma.

Incidentally, if the pod has gone rotten, the gubbins inside has usually done the same. I am currently stripping a pod in which everything below the floor has rotted away.

Bruce

Just thinking out loud, but how hard would it be to make new pods from composite materials? Seeing as many are still about and potentially airworthy, were it not for damaged wood. I know it probably wouldn’t be economically viable.

Actually harder than making one in the original materials, as you would need to recalculae all of the loads it would see, then re-stress and certify a new structure.

The original wooden cockpits can be re-made. If you made a batch of new pods using the original materials and processes it can be viable. I doubt there would be the demand sadly….it’s not a Mustang or Spitfire!