While we lived in New Hampshire, Gene met and struck up a conversation with a commercial airline pilot who was soon to test out with the FAA in a Vampire. He invited us to the test trial, and we had a wonderful time looking over this interesting early military jet and watching the test flight. The Vampire was made by DeHavilland in the late 40s and 50s and was one of the first operational military jet aircraft, used by many countries. As it happens, one of those countries was Saudi Arabia. The Vampire was one of the first aircraft used by the Royal Saudi Air Force, and is enshrined by being mounted in one of the sculptures in the "rounda bouts" in Jeddah.

Vampire in Saudi Arabia

Mounted display in Jeddah