Warbird Information Exchange

What is the market value of a Vampire in reasonably airworthy condition (minor squawks only)? Wood is in good condition with fresh fabric, minimal radio gear, reasonable time remaining on the engine, needs annual.

How do you determine the wood is in good condition? with fabric on it, new or old?

Has it been hangared undercover all of its life?

Regards

Mark Pilkington

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20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

ex Swiss AF ? if yes - would like to know the s/n

thanks
Martin

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Flying is easy: just learn how to throw yourself at the ground and miss

Pardon my ignorance, but could someone enlighten me as to why they would use wood to build a Vampire and which components are wood? It would seem to me that a fast jet is better built out of aluminum. Unless there is some other type of Vampire that you guys are talking about. Thanks.

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real airplanes have round engines

the Dh-100 Vampire and the Dh-112 Venom, as well as the Dh-113 Venom NF and the Dh-115 Vampire Trainer were, much like the Dh-98 Mosquito, the so-called "wooden bombers" - on these jets, the fuselage pod was made of plywood - the engine compartment, wings, tail-booms, etc. were metal.


Martin

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Flying is easy: just learn how to throw yourself at the ground and miss

thanks very much Martin

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real airplanes have round engines

this is what happens when you leave a Vampire rotting in the open.... see the wood ?

Dh-115 N11932 1979



Martin

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Flying is easy: just learn how to throw yourself at the ground and miss

No. And not sitting outside. Single seater. The fabric was removed, wood inspected and new fabric applied. Lots of work done, has flown within the last few years.

BDK,

If the engine is in maintenance release with hours to run and the pod has really been inspected and re-covered ie effectively airworthy? then I guess this might be $150k - $200k? USD based on a two seater than was for sale in NZ for a while?, and the rarity of the single seater?

Regards

Mark Pilkington

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20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

That is surprising with Fougas selling in the $50-$75K range. Must be because they are so common.

I haven't seen a Vampire, especially a single seater, advertised for years.

Didn't Courtesy sell N11926, a Mk.35, back in 2003? I know it was one of the old Combat Jet's collection at EAA that hadn't flown in a while, but anyone recall how much that went for?

Is that one flying these days?

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Ryan Keough
Stow, MA

BDK,

its only my guess, based on the rarity of the type and the apparant interest in the single seater, there is a single seat FB5 here in Australia that I was offered for $15k AUD, complete with engine, and good wood pod, but no log books or certification at all, and I have no idea if you could ever get it ariworthy (I also understand there is an engine bearer with a life? issue in these aircraft - this was one of those recovered from Zimbabwe), and how much cash you would have to pour into it.

I did a bit of a benchmarking of prices on the net at the time, I think there were some airworthy single seat venoms or vampires listing prices in that order at the time - (the FB5 was originally being offered to our museum for donation via a tax deductable gift arrangement hence the bench marking effort, and eventually was offered at that straight out cash purchase price)

My $150k+ assumed near flight worthy airframe with certification, but in the end it is only worth what someone is willing to pay, or what the owner is willing to sell it for.

Smiles

Mark Pilkington

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20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

Vampire values, unless they have a current ticket, are not high.

150-200K dollars is way high.

I'm thinking 45K sterling as tops - but stand to be corrected.

What is the life on the spars?


Bruce

Just a small correction.


Just to clarify, in case someone misread's Martin's comment, there no 'so called' about it, IMHO - the Mosquito was a wooden bomber alright - all the airframe was made of the de Havilland wooden construction.

That was a shaped ply/balsa/ply construction, reinforced with wooden stringers, covered (as discussed) with fabric. As Martin's rightly said, the same construction was carried over to the Vampire and Venom family, where the front half of the 'pod' excluding the nose panels was this construction. The DH Comet, Albatross, Mosquito, Hornet and Vampire/Venom family all were built using all or part of this system. New, it worked very well.

I can't help with price, but the other measure is that supply of Vampires is greater than demand, I think.

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Airworthy would bring $50,000-$60,000 U.S.D. Tops!