Mystery Jet MJ1 Vampire

I’m fairly sure that when the project was announced it got coverage on the BBC 9.00 news, and also in Flight International. If I haven’t got too confused with other things, I think one of their columnists (“Roger Bacon”) had a rather cynical view and asked if it was to be made from unattanium.

The American one was still in existance in April 97. I saw it not far from Sky Harbour South Las Vegas dismantled on a trailer next to a farm?
I am sure I took a slide of it but it is not catalogued and having just moved house I do not have a clue where it is. If it comes to light I will post it.

I seem to recall seeing an article in one of the aviation mags many years ago but I may be mixing it up with the British project.

Glyn

I remember seeing it there as well about that time. I have a rather washed out photo of it somewhere around. I’ll have a look for it.

Aviation Traders

I used to work with an airframe designer (now retired) who worked at Aviation Traders, Southend. I believe he was the principle designer on the Mystery Jet, and formerly of Handley Page. From an early stage in the development program it was shown that the take-off and landing speeds would have been unfeasibly high, owing to the heavier wing loading than even a fully equipped T.11 with ejector seats, guns, ammunition, etc. Coupled with the requirement to retain standard wings, booms, and undercarriage, this made the project unfeasible.

Shame, as this was a nice concept that could have utilised a lot of the vampires then coming out of service with the military, and to provide a neat little business jet.

The American one was still in existance in April 97. I saw it not far from Sky Harbour South Las Vegas dismantled on a trailer next to a farm?
I am sure I took a slide of it but it is not catalogued and having just moved house I do not have a clue where it is. If it comes to light I will post it.

I seem to recall seeing an article in one of the aviation mags many years ago but I may be mixing it up with the British project.

Glyn

The British design was a stand alone concept. The American project which looks incredibly similar was a new design but obviously owed a lot to the failed British project.

There’s a shot on Airliners.net of an aircraft very similar to that seen in the linked thread above, for which the caption describes it as the DH “Mystery Jet” – some confusion exists it seems.

It seems clear from these two threads that there were at least two bizjet Vampires built (to static status at least). The US venture in the other thread, still presumably sitting in the Nevada desert minding its own business, and the (earlier?) version with fewer windows that was burned at North Weald (the DH “Mystery Jet”).

This is the airliners.net photo (1991):

http://photos.airliners.net/photos/photos/3/9/8/0196893.jpg

And this (c1995 judging by the near-identical image in Feb 95 Flypast) is:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=16959

I can understand 2 persons, but is that engine strong enough for 8? :s

looks great though! imagine this flying next to a potez CM191 😮

One of the Vampires involved was the former A79-624, which went to the USA on 14 January 1971 as N11925. One of the IAC T.55s, s/n 186, was sold as N4861K. From memory, this may have been owned by the Jet Craft company as well.

Regards,

Jan

Civil Vampire conversion

When I worked at Marshall of Cambridge back in the 1960’s the Aircraft Design Office had a team of draughtsmen working on the forward fuselage of this proposed executive jet version. An old Vampire was at that time in storage in one of the hangars. Sorry I can’t remember more about it now, but someone at Marshalls may well still work there, and be able to help you.
Try contacting them at Cambridge Airport.
Regards from
Geoff.Charge (ex-Marshall ADO 1959 to 1997)

Can I point you at the following thread?

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=21759&highlight=mystery+jet

The remains ended up at North Weald, where they were, indeed burnt.

Bruce

I am seeking information on the Mystery Jet MJ1 conversion of a Vampire at Southend back in the early 1980’s all I have on it is a photo in a book and what I have found on the aircraft so far:

The Mystery Jet MJ1 was a biz jet conversion of the De Havilland DH115 Vampire, it was the cockpit section replaced by a stretched cabin allowing up to eight seats to be fitted, the MJ1 that was at Southend moved to Bushey Hertfordshire with its owner Sandy Topen it was reported to heave been burnt during a clearance of derelict aircraft on the airfield, however a report said it went to the USA.

FlyPast Feb 1995 has it at Henderson/Sky Harbour Airport just outside Las Vegas Nevada. A John Morgan had plans to set up a production line for them using acquired design rights!