This Day in Aviation History
September 20th, 1943
First flight of the de Havilland Vampire.

The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet fighter developed and manufactured by de Havilland. Having been developed during the Second World War to harness the newly developed jet engine, the Vampire entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1945. It was the second jet fighter, after the Gloster Meteor, operated by the RAF and its first to be powered by a single jet engine.

The RAF used the Vampire as a front line fighter until 1953 before it assumed secondary roles such as pilot training. It was retired by the RAF in 1966, replaced by the Hawker Hunter and Gloster Javelin. It achieved several aviation firsts and records, including being the first jet aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The Vampire had many export sales and was operated by various air forces. It participated in subsequent conflicts such as the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Malayan emergency and the Rhodesian Bush War.

Almost 3,300 Vampires were manufactured, a quarter of them built under licence in other countries. The Royal Navy’s first jet fighter was the Sea Vampire, a navalised variant which was operated from its aircraft carriers. The Vampire was developed into the DH.115 dual-seat trainer and the more advanced DH.112 Venom ground-attack and night fighter….

Source:
Wikipedia, de Havilland Vampire: http://gstv.us/1Ji7S2D

YouTube, de Havilland Mosquito and Vampire: http://gstv.us/2czeMc9

Please consider supporting Gazing Skyward TV by using our affiliate links when shopping online and becoming a Patron on Patreon. http://gazingskywardtv.com/donate/

Photo from: http://gstv.us/2czevGd

#avgeek #deHavilland #Vampire #military #warbird #ww2 #British #aviation #history #fb