Preserved Vampire Airframes in Saudi Arabia

[vampiredave]

I didn't have the courage to ask about the airframes preserved in Australia and New Zealand so these are the 'last known' locations of Vampire airframes in Saudi and would be grateful for any confirmation of their existence?

Vampire FB 52 504 Royal Saudi Air Force Museum, Riyadh.
Vampire FB 52 505 Prince Abdullah AB, Jeddah
Vampire FB 52 514 Royal Saudi Air Force Museum, Riyadh.
Vampire FB 52 515 North Jeddah. Pole-mounted on roundabout.

[Andy Marden]

Dave,

Vampire FB 52 504 Royal Saudi Air Force Museum, Riyadh.
>> No recent reports. Last heard of in Jun00.
Vampire FB 52 505 Prince Abdullah AB, Jeddah
>> Nov10. I have never seen confirmation of the serial of this one.
Vampire FB 52 514 Royal Saudi Air Force Museum, Riyadh.
>> Dec11. It is marked as 541:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38016434@N05/4401821644/
Vampire FB 52 515 North Jeddah. Pole-mounted on roundabout.
>> Feb10

Can you please summarize Saudi Vampire deliveries?
Regards,
Andy Marden

World Military Out of Service

[JDK]

I didn't have the courage to ask about the airframes preserved in Australia and New Zealand....

Why not? You are presumably familiar with the excellent ADF-serials website; if you ask on Warbirdz, Dave Homewood's Wings Over New Zealand and the ADF-serials own forums, I'm sure you'll get a good response, though it's worth trying here too.

http://www.adf-serials.com/

http://rnzaf.proboards.com/

http://www.warbirdz.net/forum/

Regards,

[vampiredave]

I have created a separate listing for the Australian and New Zealand Vampire airframes

Last edited by vampiredave on Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

[vampiredave]

Andy,

The delivery dates for the Saudi are virtually impossible to ascertain, some came from Egypt in July 1957 while others showed the Saudi markings painted direct over Italian AF markings. In service, the Saudi Vampires were numbered 501 to 519 and very little is known of their service histories except that 501 was originally allocated for ground instruction duties. Following their withdrawal from service in 1958, at least nine aircraft (including 506, 507, 511, 518 and 519) were noted derelict on the dump at Jeddah as late as 1993.

I have some colour photographs of the Vampires preserved in Jeddah, which were given to me a few years ago. No mention was made of the one preserved in the Saudi museum so I assume that one of these was passed on.

David

[JDK]

Dave, I'm no expert on this kind of data, but that list - is it your own 'best guess' or what? Most of it looks OK at a glance, but there's some immediate oddities;

Only one aircraft can have a registration in Australia at a time, so there's only one VH-ZVZ which is an ex Rhodesian Air Force (not ex-RAAF) and based at RAAF East Sale, operated by the Old Aeroplane Co, Tyabb. Details:

http://casa-query.funnelback.com/search ... v_sand=zvz

It's part of the well-known (here) Zimbabwe Vampire recovery of several single and two seaters, a couple of which are on your list. One single seater has been restored to static display at Tyabb.

The Temora aircraft flies as VH-VAM. Don't think you can fly an aircraft on the ZK- (NZ) register in Australia for long, and AFAIK, this aircraft went to the US where it was registered (N No) and flown, then brought back to Australia, registered and is current - no ZK / NZ period.

http://www.aviationmuseum.com.au/aircra ... index.html

"Vampire T 35A A79-829 / VM-YLP East Sale (Dismantled?)" - Presumably VH- (Australian prefix) transcription error?

The 'RAAF Historic Flight VH-HLF A79-636' is not flying, and there is no 'RAAF Historic Flight' any more (aircraft are operated by and allocated to the RAAF Museum) and I'm not aware of any RNZAF number for this Australian built and operated aircraft. It hasn't been on show or taxied for at least the last seven years.

http://www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/e ... ampire.htm

Note links to the two examples on show at the museum at the bottom of the list, your list details seem to be correct there.

As I said the number collectors are better found on those forums I mentioned, rather than here, and I'm sure polite enquiries there will get you chapter & verse on the list as they are well monitored by those forum's members.

HTH!

[JDK]

Response to Dave's new Aus & NZ Vampire list carried over to the new thread here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47978

Regards,

[vampiredave]

I have found the photographs of the Saudi Vampires. These also update the previous information on preserved airframe in the Kingdom

Vampire 501 displayed (together with an all-yellow Harvard) on a traffic island at the junction of Al Yamamah Street and Al-Amir Sultan Street on the north side of Jeddah, 15 minutes from the airport. Dated 1999 - obviously long gone - to where?

Vampire 505 rebuilt to static display standard in 1993 and preserved at Base Headquarters, Prince Abdullah Air Base, Jeddah. (Current?)

Vampire 514 Mounted on blocks at the same location (Current?) Is this the one in the RSAF Museum?

[Andy Marden]

There are also Vampires preserved at both Tabuk and Taif Air Bases.
Both are visible on Google Earth.
Andy

[vampiredave]

Andy,

That's interesting. Is there any way to identify which ones they could be?

D.

[Andy Marden]

Not unless you go there.....

[vampiredave]

Andy: my ramp pass has expired!

As an aside would you know if these two are still airworthy in Jordan?

Vampire FB 6 J-1106 / HB-RVO (G-BYPO) RJAF Historic Flt, Amman
Vampire T 55 ZH563 / G-BVLM / U-1216 / 209 RJAF Historic Flt Amman

D.

[Andy Marden]

Dave,
I have no knowledge of these flying recently.
J-1106 is marked as "109" by the way.
Andy

[championz]

Whats Your obsession with Saudi Arabia?

[vampiredave]

No more an "obsession" than any other country which has preserved / derelict airframes. Very few confirmed reports come from Saudi Arabia on the existence or condition of the Vampires and the airframes listed were last noted at these locations several years ago. An update, therefore, would be considered interesting to the W&R 'buffs' among us?