It is a rare thing to see one of aviation's early fighter jets let alone one in flight. As the dawn of the jet age quickly accelerated design and development of aircraft, most of the those early in-service types became obsolete and were scrapped for newer, faster, more advanced models. This early jet is the British de Havilland Vampire. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, after the Gloster Meteor, and the first with a single turbojet engine. Development began in 1941 and it entered operational service in 1946 with the RAF only months after WWII had ended. A testimony to the design was that it was finally retired from active duty in 1979, being operated by the Rhodesian Air Force. I have only ever seen one of these in person before and that was a static display. To his see this early jet flying was such a thrill. It was very quiet and so smooth it was almost surreal compared to the afterburner fly-bys of today's latest combat aircraft (which are a thrill in themselves)! This particular photo was taken a the 2023 Moses Lake Air Show. Enjoy!
Talley ho!
Steve