Would I have seen a Vampire today?

[Marcellus]

Today whilst sailing near Coventry I think we were treated to a display by a jet that looked very much like a Vampire but given their rarity would it have been?

When compared to other jet planes it was quite quiet.

[Boatbuoy]

There's a few preserved ones about on the airshow circuit. Looks like the one you saw was on it's way from/back to Coventry having displayed at Sywell in Northants. If you saw a full display I guess he was using the lake/reservoir (the one next to the A45 by any chance?) as a practise venue.

Details here:

http://www.classicairforce.com/aircraft-movements

[Marcellus]

WOW, all of that fits with the timings, thank you....... We did all think it was a pretty unique plane and yes we were on the resevoir by the A45 (Draycote Water).

cheers Boatbuoy!

[aeropilot]

Yes, the Venom was displaying at the Atomic Vintage Festival at Sywell http://www.atomicfestival.co.uk/ and was a late replacement for the scheduled F-86A Sabre which had a bang seat issue I believe.

[Fugazi]

My girlfriend is trading at the Atomic Festival this weekend and had sent me a text asking (and I quote) "What small jet has a double tail thingy, is it the Vampire?"....
She actually thought it was a large scale model, just goes to show that six years of me dragging her to see model airshows and all the pictures in my office have paid off as she recognised it from a fifties de Havilland advert I have on my wall

[perdu]

That girl sounds like a keeper

My missus keeps impressing me with her knowlege when it comes to stuff like this

Last week we were in a supermarket car park when a dark coloured helicopter flew past about half a mile or so away

"Looks like it might be a Puma", says I waiting 'til the side on view came in. (I didn't want to misguess it for a Merlin or summat) She said "Oh yes, it is, the Sea King tail would have been thicker and that Merlin at Cosford had a quite different cabin shape"

Me?

"Nice one, you're right of course. Shall I get a trolley?"

Embarassed see, I feel very old lately...