Thanks John, I had spotted that with some disappointment. I was pretty sure that a Spitfire tried/did it after liberation but that it may not have had a happy ending....
They could be right I suppose. They ought to know.
I've an Ex FAF contact over there who may have been the guy who told me. I'll get around to calling him in the next week or two. Any change, I'll get back.
But back to the
Clifton Suspension Bridge/Vampire event, this site has a lot of general information about the Bridge including a long description of the under-flight. This is an extract:
The aircraft might have been from 501 Squadron given that you mentioned Filton which never had operational units (501 was a reserve squadron). The Royal Auxiliary Air Force disbanded in 1957, so putting two and two together I assumed an unauthorised flight by a pilot shortly due to leave the RAF (he would only have been a week-end flyer). In the event it looks a touch sadder. Here are the details.
The aircraft was a Vampire FB Mk 9 WR260 of 501 Sqn at Filton and the date was 3rd February 1957. The pilot was Flying Officer John Greenwood Crossley RAuxAF aged 27 years. The reference that I have on the accident (from 'To Fly No More' by Colin Cummings) reads as follows: "The Royal Auxiliary Air Force was about to disband. This pilot took off without authority and did not wear a helmet nor did he secure his harness and parachute and he left the pitot cover in place. After about 20 minutes, he flew under the Clifton Suspension Bridge in the Avon Gorge near Bristol. Having passed beneath the bridge he pulled up into a slow roll and entered cloud. He emerged from cloud inverted and rolled out slowly losing height. He then turned to port, levelled the wings and began to lose height more rapidly before striking the side of the gorge." (In case you don't know the pitot is an open-ended tube, usually on the wing, which by allowing air in gives you your airspeed. You cannot fly properly without knowing your airspeed and you certainly can only land with great risk.) Incidentally the speed you suggest is too high [originally 450 mph] and would probably have been nearer 250 knots. My guess would be suicide
He would still only be 73. A sad tale.