Vampire Preservation group news

Morning folks,
A quick june update.

Matt and mark both performed great displays at margate last saturday and sunday in front of a decent size crowd for a “smaller” show.

Mark also took the vampire for a second flight on the sunday and 3 flights on the monday with some L-39 pilots from germany who loved the experience of a 1950’s british trainer.
And one does have a surprise in store 😉

Anyway 507 is in the hangar having a nose-wheel replacement as we cant get any more landings out of the current one

Forth coming displays: 507 is off to Prague this friday and due back on monday to do a display. Sadly my passport is out of date 🙁 so i cant come along for the ride.

Also a bit more relevant for the uk airshow goer. 507 will be off to waddington on friday and come back either late sunday or early monday, and i have been told that she is flying. I am staying with mark saturday/sunday and monday so do come and say hello

Thats all for now folks, dont forget the photographic competition 😀

Cheers
668

Probably the most historic NF.10 as well as it was a Handley Page test bed and also used by the A&AEE.

I never noticed that – indeed there was an individual who acquired the best surviving NF10 and proceeded to chop it up to turn it into a Mosquito. Ended up as firewood as I recall – shame!

As David says, there is NO similarity, except that they are both made of wood!

Bruce

Hi Matt,

I have taken a look at the Vampire Preservation Group’s website, and like the overall presentation of it, however I would like to correct some of the Vampire History shown. This paragraph describing the NF.10 design is not correct, and has been often quoted unfortunately.

The next version was the two-seater NF10, adapted from the basic design by grafting the Mosquito’s night-fighter ‘bull’ nose onto the smaller Vampire fuselage pod.

The reality is that de Havilland saw the oportunity to design a new two seat fuselage “pod” that could be used as the basis for both a radar equiped night fighter, or trainer. There is no grafting from one type to another, simply a new fuselage to house the required equipment. This new fuselage was mated to the strengthened clipped wings from the FB.5, providing the core of the new type.

I am very familiar with the construction of the vampire and mosquito airframes, and can confirm there is no commonality in the wooden cockpit primary structure used.

Also, it would be interesting to see a little more history on the Goblin engine too as this was a very significant design for DH right from the start. So much so, that the first Meteor to fly did so with an early version of these instead of the Rover engines it should have, because they were underpowered!

Thanks for that david, i shall forward this on to matt so he can ammend the website

cheers 🙂

Vampire history correction

Hi Matt,

I have taken a look at the Vampire Preservation Group’s website, and like the overall presentation of it, however I would like to correct some of the Vampire History shown. This paragraph describing the NF.10 design is not correct, and has been often quoted unfortunately.

The next version was the two-seater NF10, adapted from the basic design by grafting the Mosquito’s night-fighter ‘bull’ nose onto the smaller Vampire fuselage pod.

The reality is that de Havilland saw the oportunity to design a new two seat fuselage “pod” that could be used as the basis for both a radar equiped night fighter, or trainer. There is no grafting from one type to another, simply a new fuselage to house the required equipment. This new fuselage was mated to the strengthened clipped wings from the FB.5, providing the core of the new type.

I am very familiar with the construction of the vampire and mosquito airframes, and can confirm there is no commonality in the wooden cockpit primary structure used.

Also, it would be interesting to see a little more history on the Goblin engine too as this was a very significant design for DH right from the start. So much so, that the first Meteor to fly did so with an early version of these instead of the Rover engines it should have, because they were underpowered!

Hello all,
A quick update before cosford.

Matt has got around to updating the airshow booking page and the news page with our latest dates and adventures plus a video has been added taken from abbingdon
We have also managed to process a few of the enteries for the photographic competition and the standard look high this year.

Major changes are the closing date to the competition which is now the 20th September.

Forth comming ops are the cosford airshow this comming sunday, and then a busy weekend after with margate and the air-britain fly-in.

VPG Website

See you all there!
Matt french
Ground crew

Hello all

Well what a busy few days we had at north weald. Matt complete the two diplays in WZ507 at the southend airshow on sunday and monday with record crowds attending.
Then on the tuesday we had two other flights to complete at north weald with a very strong cross wind but matt mangaed to put on a fantastic take off (and with bevs driving skills) we managed to make it to the runway to see it.

The next planned display is cosford in 2weeks time.

If anyone has any comments from southend and abbingdon for me to pass on to matt then please post or PM

Next time im there i shall try and get some piccies taken so you can get a ground crews view 😀

Cheers all
M french
VPG

Hi all

Just to let you know WZ507 has been confirmed for southend on sunday and monday.

Hopefully the weather will be good and some good photos will be taken for the competition

http://www.vampirepreservation.org.uk/competition.htm

Thanks for supporting us!
Matt

Hello all,

Well matt completed hes first display for 2009 at abbindon last sunday and from what ive heard so far it was a great show and a great display from 507.

I just wanted to remind people of the photographic comp so if you took any photos your happy with then please consider entering them.

I believe an offical report is due out soon

See you at the next display
cheers
668

Hi all
Just to let you know ‘507 is due to display at the abbingdon air and country show this sunday, this is her first airshow of 2009 🙂

See here:

http://www.vampirepreservation.org.uk/airshows.htm

http://www.abingdonfayre.com/

Also, dont forget the 2009 photograhpic competition, we have 1 entry so far.

See here
http://www.vampirepreservation.org.uk/competition.htm

Cheers
668

Hello all
April update!

You will all be glad to know the brake problem is fixed 😀 so its all go for 2009!

The 2009 open day report has been posted on the website
VPG news

And the 1:72 scale corgi model of WZ507 has been realised at a special VPG price. With all funds raised going to keeping ‘507 airworthy.

Also there is a special WZ507 profile new for 2009!

Please see VPG shop

Next confirmed display is on the 3rd of may for Abingdon and don’t forget the photographic competition.

Cheers
Matt French
VPG volunteer

Certainly, if you wouldnt mind pming me your email and i will forward that on to matt (the other one) who has hes contact detials

Cheers
668

Thanks…e-Mail address should now be with you

Colin

Glad you had a good day today and looking forward to seeing you at Abingdon on May 3rd,but in the meantime would you mind PM’ing me Eric Brown’s contact details please as I would like to invite him to Didcot and give a presentation to my Oxfordshire Aviation Group

cheers
Colin

Certainly, if you wouldnt mind pming me your email and i will forward that on to matt (the other one) who has hes contact detials

Cheers
668

Well what a day we had. I dont think us lot stopped!

Eric brown’s talk was astonishing i think we could of all sat there till the early hours listening to him.
Sadly the brakes went wrong on the day and we couldn’t taxi or fly so its back to the hangar for 507 where she will be sorted out and hopefully a test flight can happen in the coming weeks. Nether the less we battled on and made the best of what we could with 2 engine runs.

Sadly i didnt have time to get any photos as i was busy but hopefully some of you did, unfortunately i saw the camera pointing at me a few times :S haha. Some nice shots are on UKAR already!

Dont forget the photographic completion for 2009, your photo doesn’t necessarily have to be taken in the air so last night was a good opportunity.
http://www.vampirepreservation.org.uk/competition.htm

A big thanks to everyone who came and supported us and donated money to help keep this lovely aircraft flying. And a big thanks to eric! who seems very agile at a grand old age of 90

Next display is at Abingdon on the 3rd of may
See you there!

Glad you had a good day today and looking forward to seeing you at Abingdon on May 3rd,but in the meantime would you mind PM’ing me Eric Brown’s contact details please as I would like to invite him to Didcot and give a presentation to my Oxfordshire Aviation Group

cheers
Colin

Well what a day we had. I dont think us lot stopped!

Eric brown’s talk was astonishing i think we could of all sat there till the early hours listening to him.
Sadly the brakes went wrong on the day and we couldn’t taxi or fly so its back to the hangar for 507 where she will be sorted out and hopefully a test flight can happen in the coming weeks. Nether the less we battled on and made the best of what we could with 2 engine runs.

Sadly i didnt have time to get any photos as i was busy but hopefully some of you did, unfortunately i saw the camera pointing at me a few times :S haha. Some nice shots are on UKAR already!

Dont forget the photographic completion for 2009, your photo doesn’t necessarily have to be taken in the air so last night was a good opportunity.
http://www.vampirepreservation.org.uk/competition.htm

A big thanks to everyone who came and supported us and donated money to help keep this lovely aircraft flying. And a big thanks to eric! who seems very agile at a grand old age of 90

Next display is at Abingdon on the 3rd of may
See you there!

I’m planning on being there and looking forward to it. 🙂

Just out of interest who is thinking about coming?

Well for the third year in a row it look unlikely I’ll be able to make it:mad::mad::mad: Unless I can seriousley wangle my way out of a few things.

Cheers, Huw:(

Hi all,
Just to remind you the open day is tomorrow.

starts at around 3 at north weald (squadron area), dont forget the market will be on but by 3 it quietens down unless you arrive earlier. Dont let the market marshals park you in the market car park tell them you want go to airfield side or squadron and they shall let you through. Also beware of pedestrians around the back of the market area.

Weathers looking cloudy but dry which is the main thing but we will still go ahead no matter what really.
Just out of interest who is thinking about coming?

See you there!

668

Just to remind you we got a week to go, 507 will be flying at about 3 and the whole event will finish about 7 (see website for details)

The event will go ahead even if it is raining yet it will be taylored to the weather , the talk by eric brown should be interesting and its all for free.

Personaly id get there at lunch time and make the most of the squadron and soak up some of the atmosphere at north weald. No doubt there will be some warbird and civil activity if we are blessed with good wether.

Any questions ask away.
See you there!
668

Thanks for the replies.

Me too David.