27 July 2009

Vampire cockpit arrives at Bournemouth

Photo: Steve Rhymes

Arriving at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum on 22nd June 2009 was its latest exhibit, the cockpit of Vampire T11 XK627. It was put up for sale on eBay early in 2009 and bought by Neville Chambers of Chambers Property Care Limited, who has loaned it to the Museum.

XK627, construction number 15784, was one of a batch of 24 Vampire T11 trainers for the RAF built by de Havilland at Hawarden. First flown in 1956, it was displayed at the Farnborough Air Show in September the same year.

XK627 saw service with the RAF with the Central Flying School at Little Rissington and with No. 8 Flying Training School at Swinderby before being retired and sold to Hawker Siddeley Aviation in December 1968.

Following storage at Woodford, XK627 was donated to the Hazel Grove Secondary School for Girls in Cheshire and was subsequently acquired by the Pennine Aviation Museum at Bacup, Lancashire. In 1994 the Vampire was passed to a private owner at Barton who had ambitions to restore it to flying condition but in the end it passed to well-known cockpit restorer Tony Collins in January 2003. In the care of Tony Collins the cockpit was removed from the rest of the airframe and was given a through restoration. At some point in its service career, it is believed that XK627 also saw use with 56 Squadron and it is the markings of this unit that the cockpit now wears.

For more information about the Bournemouth Aviation Museum, visit its newly re-vamped web site, www.aviation-museum.co.uk .