John R Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 (edited) Please can anybody tell me the colour scheme of the Venom prototype? You ask one question and suddenly others appear. Did the prototype have wing tanks when it first flew and if not what did the wingtips look like, rounded off or squared? John Edited January 22, 2017 by John R More information needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shatters Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 High speed silver according to warpaint. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted January 21, 2017 Author Share Posted January 21, 2017 Thanks John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted January 22, 2017 Author Share Posted January 22, 2017 Now I need to know if it had tip tanks when it first flew. Main topic edited to reflect this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloegin57 Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 The first two Venoms, VV612 and VV613, were both taken from the FB.5 production line. VV612 ff 2-9-49 and VV613 23-7-50. This is what Roger Lindsay had to say regarding tip tanks in his monograph on the type published in 1974. No photographs of either prototype appear in the monograph. HTH Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) WhenVV612 didn't have the tip tanks fitted, the wingtips were squared off, almost sawn off in appearance, there was no rounded tip fitted Edited January 22, 2017 by 71chally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shatters Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 I have images of VV612 and VV613 showing tip tanks fitted to both aircraft. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Don't know if this helps or not, but during it's appearance at the 1949 Farnborough show, VV612 did not have the tip tanks fitted for flight but did while on static display, this was only 4 days after it's first flight. It also had distinctive under boom tail bumpers fitted. The lack of tanks may have been to enable a better flying routine (Derry flying!), but it was usual for the aircraft to be displayed with tanks and stores to show off their capability. Their are a few shots of '612 without tanks and as many with, so I guess you have the option to fit or not, but don't know the fit at first flight. Don't forget that '612 also went on to be the reheated Ghost test airframe. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 "It also had distinctive under boom tail bumpers fitted" it says in the previous post. Does anybody know what they looked like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 (edited) I found a picture of it fitted with these (link only as it is copyright). They looked more like fins. Interestingly the caption says it was when it it was fitted with the afterburning Ghost but 71Chally says it had them at Farnborough, 4 days after its first flight. https://www.yooniqimages.com/images/detail/216315114/Editorial/first-prototype-de-havilland-venom-vv612-after-the-fitting Photo also shows it with wing fences, which it did not start with, so maybe it's the following year at Farnborough. A few things that I found in my trawl net It did not start with the extentions on the tailplane, wing fences or the extentions to the ailerons. Edited May 3, 2017 by John R More info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 Another question. When were mass balances under the tailplane fitted? First flight or later? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Work In Progress Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Weren't they initially a straight carry-over from the Vampire? Under-talplane shots are not easily found but I'd say they'd be there from the start unless photos showed otherwise. Late Venoms got even bigger ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
71chally Posted May 3, 2017 Share Posted May 3, 2017 Hi John, the original tail bumpers were much smaller, like the production aircraft. I had forgotten that these were also on Vampires. The taller bumpers were fitted when the reheated Ghost was fitted, same style as the reheated Vampire. BTW I tend to use the 'Flight' archive as references, as you know when the pictures were taken, https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949 - 1620.html There are two images there, one of VV612 in the air, I can see those mass balances there, and another one of it on the ground. An early shot here, http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac6/D.H.112 Venom FB.1.html And a shot of '612 in it's reheated Ghost fit in the 1952, https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0347/7793/products/VV612_De_Havilland_Venom_Mk.1_RAF_Farnborough_1952_1024x1024.jpg?v=1487346207 This is VV613, but nice under shot, https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1951/1951 - 0685.html?search=venom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John R Posted May 3, 2017 Author Share Posted May 3, 2017 Thank you for those. Interesting to see it evolving as the bits get added. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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