Description

Sliding out of the shadows of World War Two the de Havilland Vampireaccompanied by the distinctive whine of its Goblin enginequickly proved itself an effective alternative to pistonpowered fighters After entering operational service with the RAF as the services first singleengine jet in 1946 the Vampiresought by air forces the world overheld a number of notable records the first fighter to exceed 500 mph the first to set a world altitude record of almost 60000 feet the first jet to take off and land from an aircraft carrier and the first jet to cross the Atlantic Ocean Not bad for something built partly of wood Throughout this book the Vampire Boys bring to life the trials and tribulations of operating a firstgeneration jet across the globe Through their insightful anecdotes and exceptional experiences listeners can follow squadrons across the dusty deserts of Iraq to exercises in West Germany Firsthand tales of training aerial handling incidents and accidents including the muchmaligned spin characteristics and squadron life bring together a portrait of a pioneering time in aviation advancement right up to the present day with the T11 still flying from Coventry Airport