A WW2 Vampire jet has taken up residence in Mandeville, In its heyday, it could have flown from Christchurch to Mandeville in about 30 minutes, now it took more than 10 hours to be trucked to its new home. Video / Craig Baxter / Peter Mcintosh
In its heyday, the World War II-era jet fighter could have flown from Christchurch to Mandeville in about 30 minutes.
Now decommissioned, it took a de Havilland DH100 Vampire NZ5765 more than 10 hours to be trucked to its new home at the Croydon Aviation Heritage Centre yesterday.
Croydon AviationHeritage Trust trustee Colin Smith said the organisation was "grateful and delighted" to be gifted the 1940s-era aircraft by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
Air-to-air view of No. 75 Squadron Vampire NZ5765 in flight over clouds. Photo / Air Force Museum of New Zealand
"We're very, very appreciative because we've looked for a number of years to try and acquire this type of aircraft.
"We've explored the possibility of bringing a Vampire in from Australia or from the UK, but it was always the expense."
The Southland aviation centre had a range of early de Havilland planes in its collection.
The Vampire was unique, he said. It was built during the shift away from the traditional method building aircraft from wood, to building them from metal.
"Historically it is significant to us in that our de Havilland collection is of light, early aircraft, which were virtually all wood and fabric."
The Vampire was also the second jet aircraft used by the Royal Air Force, entering operational service in 1946.
The aircraft had been flown in combat in the United Kingdom, before delivery to the RNZAF in 1956.
The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is carried south on State Highway1 through Dunedin yesterday on its journey from Christchurch to Mandeville, in Southland. Photo / ODT
It was used as a training aircraft, and then an instructional airframe for aircraft engineers, Smith said.
More recently it was on loan to the Warbirds and Wheels museum in Wanaka, before returning to the Air Force Museum of New Zealand in Wigram last year.
Unlike some of the centre's other aircraft, the Vampire could not be flown as it lacked an engine and other components.
A restoration facility owned by Smith worked on planes the centre had acquired, and an effort would be made to complete the plane.
However, as a single-seater aircraft, it would never be one of the trust's planes which took passengers for jaunts in the sky above Mandeville.
