Outside the Reynolds Museum is this Vampire RCAF serial 17071.
The nose art is I believe a “Bat’s Head”.
Could an expert please tell me which RCAF Squadron used this motif and the Mark of the Vampire (possibly an FB3)? Any other information about this particular aircraft would also be welcome!
By: l.garey - 20th February 2006 at 06:49
Vampires
I just joined the thread because I was checking on 2 Vampires I saw at Orange County on 2 December 1972. They were N6883D and N6885D, and were in a compound reserved as a dump. I was told thir fate was uncertain. They were alongside F101A 53-2431 and YF107A 55-5120. So I presume that 3D survived, as you state, but what happened to 5D?
By: Cooter - 19th December 2005 at 13:40
Yes and 17072 was just flown into CYPQ Peterborough for import proceedures to be put on the Canadian Civil Registry. Will remain flying as an airshow demo. This is the oldest AIRWORTHY jet fighter in the world.
By: AirJimL2 - 13th October 2004 at 18:24
Did some looking around and came up with this:
Vamp 17071/N6883D has been with Reynolds since 1992. That is the pic in the photo.
The ex CWH Vamp is 17020/N6863D, It left the CWH in the late 80s and reportedly joined the Reynolds collection. Wonder where it is?
The remaining RCAF Vamps are:
17018/N6681D at the Planes of Fame Grand Canyon Museum, AZ
17031/N41J with the Comox Museum, BC
17058/N6860D with the Canadian Museum of Flight, BC
17062/N6885D still at Mojave?
17069/N6877D/CF-RLK with the Calgary Museum, AB
17072/N6878D is still flying and for sale in Florida
17074 at NAM, Ontario
Jim
By: Papa Lima - 12th October 2004 at 20:45
I was afraid that something like this would happen . . .
It looks as if I shall have to write to Reynolds to pose your questions, but I am far too busy just now.
By: Steve T - 12th October 2004 at 20:14
Jim/Peter–
This is interesting: yes, a Vampire F.3 did go from CWH to Reynolds, and it was one of the famous Fliteways N68**D batch…but it wasn’t 17071, it was 17020, which iirc was N6863D (I’ve got a pic somewhere showing the “ghost” of the c/r on a tailboom).
The resulting questions are…1. is this just 17020 painted as 17071 because the latter wore the 442 Sqn bat head? 2. if this really is 17071, was she restored using parts of 17020? 3. where is 17020 now, if this isn’t her??
S.
By: AirJimL2 - 11th October 2004 at 20:48
I think that plane came to Reynolds via the CWH. They had an ex-RCAF Vamp that went to Reynolds in the early 1990s. I’ll check the serial when I get home this pm.
Jim
By: ALBERT ROSS - 10th October 2004 at 12:19
Thank you, Albert, I just hope the other information (taken from “DH Vampire – The Complete History” by David Watkins) is correct! Especially the part about Paul Mantz!
Yep, that’s all correct. Somewhere I have a b/w photo of this same aircraft painted white and with its civil registration taken somewhere in the States. If I can dig it out, I’ll post it.
By: Papa Lima - 10th October 2004 at 12:09
Thank you, Albert, I just hope the other information (taken from “DH Vampire – The Complete History” by David Watkins) is correct! Especially the part about Paul Mantz!
By: ALBERT ROSS - 10th October 2004 at 12:06
RCAF Vampire
The bat markings on that RCAF Vampire are of No.442 ‘City of Vancouver’ Squadron, Royal Canadian Auxiliary Air Force in 1954.
By: Papa Lima - 10th October 2004 at 11:53
I have managed to dig out this much:
Built in the UK at Preston, it was RAF serial VP745 and among the first batch of 85 for the RCAF, shipped to Toronto and reassembled at Downsview. After the RCAF Vampires were struck off charge in June 1958, 26 (plus 4 spares) were sold to the Formetal Division of Fliteways Inc., West Bend, Wisconsin, in 1958 for possible use in the US civil market as executive jets or fast private “hacks”. These included 17071 which was registered N6883D. Paul Mantz, the Hollywood film pilot, was known to have operated two, including 17071/N6883D.
But the nose art question still remains!
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October 10, 2004 at 11:42 am