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SwissMilSim MSFS de Havilland Vampire
SwissMilSim MSFS de Havilland Vampire
First flown in 1943, the de Havilland Vampire has been overshadowed by the Gloster Meteor (the first jet fighter to enter operational service) and the aerodynamically superior German Me 262. Where the Messerschmitt may have been faster and harder hitting, the British jets were arguably more developed, easier to fly, and their engines much more reliable and longer lasting. This put them in the lead in the post-war market, even if just for a short time.
The Vampire's small size can be judged by the pilot.
The Vampire was fitted with a de Havilland Goblin jet engine, designed by Frank Halford. Along longer than the contemporary Whittle designs, it also used a centrifugal compressor leading to a tubby appearance as seen from the front. Due to the low power output of the early jet engines, the airframe was kept as simple and light as possible and its unusual twin-boom layout was to minimise power loss from an extended jet pipe.
The rest of the airframe is best described as diminutive, being about half as long as an F-15 and nearly a metre shorter than a Spitfire. The forward half of the egg-shaped fuselage was plywood, building on de Havilland’s experience with the Mosquito, while the rear was largely aluminium. The straight wings incorporated airbrakes - more of which later.
'Winkle' Brown makes the first jet carrier landing.
The Vampire became the first jet to land and take off from an aircraft carrier, paving the way for jet operations at sea, and also the first to cross the Atlantic. These feats helped it win many export orders and more than 3,200 were built, serving with fourteen different nations.
Switzerland took delivery of its first aircraft in 1946. The four Mk.1’s were later joined by two batches of aircraft based on the Mk.6. The first 75 were built in the UK, while the next 100 were built under licence by a Swiss consortium. These originally operated as fighters, before being relegated to ground attack aircraft. These served until 1974, and some remained in storage until 1988. More amazingly, many of the 39 Mk.55 two seat trainers bought in 1953 remained in active service until 1990 - at which point many joined the warbird scene.
On approach to RAF Leeming, showing off MSFS' beautiful graphics.
SwissMilSim’s goal is “to revive the rich history of SWISS MILITARY AVIATION with the help of flight simulators. The participants in this adventure are linked by their passions and their knowledge of the fields of flight simulators and the technical adventure represented by the evolution of aircraft defending Swiss airspace”. To this end they have produced several aircraft for FSX/P3D and have now started on MSFS. Their first aircraft, the Morane D-3801 gained underwhelming reviews, but their next offering - the Vampire - is a big step up, making full use of their team’s experience.
All of the team bar one are current or ex-pilots, while the exception was a mechanic in the Swiss Air Force who worked on the following: Vampire DH-100/112/115, Hunter Mk-58, Mirage-IIIS, Hornet F/A-18, Hawk, Learjet, Falcon 50, Pilatus P2, P3, PC-6, PC-7, PC-9, Alouette-II/III, Super-Puma, Dauphin and Ecureuil, before going on to serve as the Intendant and Director of the Military Aviation Museum of Payerne. The project manager is an 86 year old who actually flew the D-3801 before moving on to the Vampire. This is a team with a real passion for their subject.
So how is the Vampire?
So how is the Vampire?
The Vampire's performance is sprightly enough for a first generation jet
Flight model and handling
Flight model and handling
This is where this product earns its salt. It flies like it should and it is that undefinable correct ‘feel’ to the flight model where you can sense what the aircraft wants to do - something that is not always easy without force feedback on the stick or the actual forces in a real cockpit. The Vampire is a pleasure to fly, if not exactly overpowered. It is fully aerobatic, yet is simple to operate and has few vices.
The trickiest part is probably getting used to using the differential braking for steering - this is particularly challenging during crosswind takeoffs. While slow to accelerate, the airframe is quite slick and doesn’t want to slow down - meaning the small wing mounted air brakes are used a lot.
Spoilers out on approach - this gives you a chance of a go-around!
Engine handling and landing
Engine handling and landing
Early jets were very slow to respond to control inputs, and the very earliest could be easily damaged by rapid throttle motions. Quick power changes could lead to blade damage and fires - and the latter is nicely modelled on the Vampire, as is the fire extinguisher. The fact that it takes about ten seconds to go from idle to maximum thrust makes landing challenging, requiring a very stable approach.
A mixture of the slow engine response and the slippery airframe means that the airbrakes are used throughout the approach. This means quite high engine settings which give a chance of a go around if necessary.
Escort duty!
External modelling
External modelling
The Vampire has a nice external model that has been unfairly criticised. The Vampire is a small and simple airframe and the model looks pretty accurate and is more than good enough for the simulator. Alternative liveries are starting to appear on flightsim.to/
The cockpit - I like its accuracy, but some have complained about the 2D dials.
Cockpit
Cockpit
The cockpit is very accurate, but suffers from a handful of 2D dials on the main panel. It does take away from the look of the cockpit, but I can’t say they bother me too much. The rest of the cockpit is very well done, with all systems modelled and with clickable switches - down to a pull down section for spare light bulbs! The only other thing that should be mentioned is that the cockpit is very much a Swiss affair - with km/h and a mixture of languages for switches.
The makers had released a ‘British’ cockpit for FSX but it had apparently not helped sales - but I think that it is a trick missed here. However there is now a British Cockpit at Flightsim.to
A great 1st Gen fighter - easy to fly yet ready to bite!
Overall
Overall
This is an aircraft I keep going back to. It mixes jet speed and decent handling, but without all the mod cons - making it a real pilot's aircraft. The flight modelling is good and feels right. Alternate 3rd party liveries are just starting to appear if you don’t fancy flying over the Alps forever. Yes, the cockpit could look slightly better, but this is still a big thumbs up for me. Highly recommended.
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