First Operational Jet Fighter for the RCAF – DH.100 Vampire Jan-1948

The De Havilland Vampire was selcted as the first jet-powered aircraft for full-scale
RCAF service. The first of 85 Mark III aircraft began to arrive in 1948. The unusual design of the aircraft featured a variety of materials. While the aircraft was primarily made of metal, the cockpit section featured a composite balsa wood construction similar to the De Havilland Mosquito. RCAF Vampires were rapidly superseded in the jet age, and the last examples retired in 1958.