Return of the Vampire – The Northern Daily Leader

9 Apr 2017, 1 p.m.

The Vampire Jet that used to be on display in Hands of Fame Park is returning, but where should it go?

Vampire's return: Sam Pay, Geoff Stone, Ty Beeney and the Aviskills students have taken on the restoration project. Photo: Gareth Gardner 060417

A former Tamworth landmark will fly back into the landscape next year asthe Tamworth Aviskills team takes on the job of re-instating the Vampire Jet back back to its former glory.

In the air: The Vampire Jet leaves it's plinth for the first time in 41 years on it's way to Aviskills for repair in 2011

The De Havilland Vampirejet usedto stand on a plinth in the Hands of Fame Park on Brisbane street for 41 years, and was a memorial to WWII pilots who trained in Tamworth, as well as asource for many a childhood dreamof flying fighter planes.

The jet never saw service and was shipped to Tamworth in pieces after being used as a training jet in Wagga until 1960.

Clear for take-off: The De Havilland Vampire jet sat in Hands of Fame Park for 41 years as a memorial to pilots trained in Tamworth during WWII.

In 2011 the nose on the jet started to droop as it fell into disrepair and amid safety concerns Tamworth Regional Council took it down, and along with a $2300 grant gave it to the Aviskills team under head teacher Russ Hodgkins, who has 250 training aircraft maintenance engineers under his wing.

Straight through: Aviskills student Aaron Argent looks through the cockpit as he examines what is needed to restore the jet to its former glory. Photo: Gareth Gardner

So far the team has stripped back a lot of the aluminium skinto expose the problem, which was the rotting wooden frame, and placed a steel rod from the engine mounts at the back through to the nose.

It will never fly again but we thought we would have a crack at fixing it up, Mr Hodgkins said.

Returning to the Tamworth skyline: The de Havilland Vampire jet in all its glory in Tamworth's Hands of Fame Park.

Now we will replace the frame and it is just a matter of making new aluminium skins andshining it up.

The team is even going to re-paint the red devil that sat just behind the nose, and are calling out for anyone who wants to chip in to roll their sleeves up and get their hands dirty helping them restore a piece of local and national history.

We have all the tools and machinery so anyone who wants to come out and help is more than welcome, Hodgkins said.

It isa good community project.

Gone but not forgotten: The plinth which the jet stood on for 41 years gets demolished after it was taken down in 2011.

The project is set to be completed by the end of next year, although where the Vampire jet will then go is still up in the air.

I dont think council are too keen to put it back in the Hands of Fame Park, Mr Hodgkins said. The training school have said they will have it so it couldstay at the airport, although I think more people would get to see it if it went back into town.

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Return of the Vampire - The Northern Daily Leader

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