Simons, Graham M. "Comet! [76] Popular Mechanics wrote that Britain had a lead of three to five years on the rest of the world in jetliners. The MoT subsequently backed BOAC's order of Conway-powered Boeing 707s. [82], Since retirement, three early-generation Comet airframes have survived in museum collections. The court acted under the provisions of Rule 75 of the Indian Aircraft Rules 1937. "[121], Despite findings of the Cohen Inquiry, a number of myths have evolved around the cause of the Comet 1's accidents. ", "ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland DH-106 Comet 4 G-APDN Sierra del Montseny", "de Havilland DH106 Comet 1A de Havilland Aircraft Museum", "Gate Guardian Comet C2 Sagittarius XK699 RAF Lyneham. The fuselage sections and nose simulated a flight up to 70,000ft (21,000m) at a temperature of 70C (94F), with 2,000lb (910kg) pressure applications at 9psi (62kPa). As a result, de Havilland re-profiled the wings' leading edge with a pronounced "droop",[88] and wing fences were added to control spanwise flow. Just before the 747s came along and bumped the 707s onto other services. Smith, Adrian. Las mejores ofertas para BOAC DE HAVILLAND COMET 3 LARGE ORIGINAL VINTAGE MANUFACTURERS PHOTO 11126 estn en eBay Compara precios y caractersticas de productos nuevos y usados Muchos artculos con envo gratis! [146] On 14 March 1997 a Comet 4C serial XS235 and named Canopus,[147] which had been acquired by the British Ministry of Technology and used for radio, radar and avionics trials, made the last documented production Comet flight. FR. IN VENDITA! [98] Prime Minister Winston Churchill tasked the Royal Navy with helping to locate and retrieve the wreckage so that the cause of the accident could be determined. BOAC said, "the Comet 4 was largely responsible for the fact that between April 1 st and September 19 th traffic was up by 40% on the North Atlantic compared to the summer period of 1958. [145], In the 1960s, orders declined, a total of 76 Comet 4s being delivered from 1958 to 1964. [195] Comet 4Cs are exhibited at the Flugausstellung Peter Junior at Hermeskeil, Germany (G-BDIW),[196] the Museum of Flight Restoration Center near Everett, Washington (N888WA),[181] and the National Museum of Flight near Edinburgh, Scotland (G-BDIX). ", Tony Fairbrother, manager, upgraded Comet development. XK695 Comet 2R. The Comet was also adapted for a variety of military roles such as VIP, medical and passenger transport, as well as surveillance; the last Comet 4, used as a research platform, made its final flight in 1997. [49] The Comet's high cabin pressure and fast operating speeds were unprecedented in commercial aviation, making its fuselage design an experimental process. Modifications to the interiors allowed the Comet 2s to be used in several roles. [41] The undercarriage could also be lowered by a combination of gravity and a hand-pump. [135] The Comet 4 enabled BOAC to inaugurate the first regular jet-powered transatlantic services on 4 October 1958 between London and New York (albeit still requiring a fuel stop at Gander International Airport, Newfoundland, on westward North Atlantic crossings). (Pan Am's DC-6B was scheduled for 46 hours 45 minutes). This was because in 1945 no turbojet engine manufacturer in the world was drawing-up a design specification for an engine with the thrust and specific fuel consumption that could power an aircraft at the proposed cruising altitude (40,000ft (12,000m)), speed, and transatlantic range as was called for by the Type 106. Both of these aeroplanes would continue to operate side by side until the formation of British Airways PLC in 1974. - May 06, 1959 Operated the inaugural London (Heathrow) - Sydney (Kingsford Smith) service - November 01, 1959 Route: London - Beirut - Karachi - Singapore - Sydney This aircraft was one of six Comet 4 aircraft wet-leased by Qantas Empire Airways from 1959 to 1963 [13] Sprite fittings were retained on production aircraft. BOAC went on to fly the 707 on its own trans-Atlantic flights. [62], From the Comet 2 onwards, the Ghost engines were replaced by the newer and more powerful 7,000lbf (31kN) Rolls-Royce Avon AJ.65 engines. "[127], The Cohen inquiry closed on 24 November 1954, having "found that the basic design of the Comet was sound",[111] and made no observations or recommendations regarding the shape of the windows. Comets quit flying the North Atlantic in October 1960 (but reportedly made a few flights in summer 1964). After analysing route structures for the Comet, BOAC reluctantly cast about for a successor, and in 1956 entered into an agreement with Boeing to purchase the 707. In August 1953 BOAC scheduled the nine-stop London to Tokyo flights by Comet for 36 hours, compared to 86 hours and 35 minutes on its Argonaut piston airliner. The aircraft, registered G-ALYP, had taken off shortly before from Ciampino Airport in Rome, en route to . canuck DC-8. Free shipping. The last two Comet 4C fuselages were used to build prototypes of the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft. [31][60] These were tested on 30 flights, but the Ghosts alone were considered powerful enough and some airlines concluded that rocket motors were impractical. [98] With the recovery of large sections of G-ALYP from the Elba crash and BOAC's donation of an identical airframe, G-ALYU, for further examination, an extensive "water torture" test eventually provided conclusive results. Photo: Getty Images However, the route was suspended in October 1943, and a UK-Cairo-Karachi service was launched. vs 315mph (507km/h), respectively), and a faster rate of climb further cut flight times. Besides the 707 and DC-8, the introduction of the Vickers VC10 allowed competing aircraft to assume the high-speed, long-range passenger service role pioneered by the Comet. [112] This time, the entire fuselage was tested in a dedicated water tank that was built specifically at Farnborough to accommodate its full length. It was on that date when a BOAC Comet departed from Rome and climbed to 26,000 feet and attempted to reach 36,000 feet. [170] Assigned in 1961 to the Blind Landing Experimental Unit (BLEU) at RAE Bedford, the final testbed role played by GANLO was in automatic landing system experiments. ", "Report of the Public Inquiry into the causes and circumstances of the accident which occurred on the 10 January 1954, to the Comet aircraft G-ALYP, Part IX (d). Pen and Sword, 2013. [171] In BOAC colours, G-ANLO was flown by John Cunningham in a marathon round-the-world promotional tour in December 1955. [1], The Comet is widely regarded as both an adventurous step forward and a supreme tragedy; the aircraft's legacy includes advances in aircraft design and in accident investigations. ", "De Havilland DH.106 Comet 4, G-APDJ, Air Ceylon. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. BOAC COMET 4 Captains Folder Africa routes original 1960s document - EUR 54,29. [90], The Comet's second fatal accident occurred on 2 May 1953, when BOAC Flight 783, a Comet 1, registered G-ALYV, crashed in a severe thundersquall six minutes after taking off from Calcutta-Dum Dum (now Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport), India,[91] killing all 43 on board. [159], The Comet was involved in 26 hull-loss accidents, including 13 fatal crashes which resulted in 426 fatalities. [140] Deliveries to BOAC began on 30 September 1958 with two 48-seat aircraft, which were used to initiate the first scheduled transatlantic services. Atkinson, R. J., W. J. Winkworth and G. M. Norris. At about 09:50 GMT BOAC Argonaut, G-ALHJ piloted by Captain Johnson, which was flying the same route at a lower altitude was in contact with Captain Gibson. Without support from the Ministry of Transport, the proposal languished as a hypothetical aircraft and was never realised. However, no mail was flown to or from Frankfurt on the outward flight. Hall, Geoffrey de Havilland and Bishop were immediately called to the scene, where the water tank was drained to reveal that the fuselage had ripped open at a bolt hole, forward of the forward left escape hatch cut out. On 11 March 1943, the Cabinet of the United Kingdom formed the Brabazon Committee, which was tasked with determining the UK's airliner needs after the conclusion of the Second World War. On the 10 th December R. Clear commanded test flights from Hatfield. British South American Airways merged with BOAC in 1949. [188] Other fatal Comet 4 accidents included a British European Airways crash in Ankara, Turkey, following instrument failure on 21 December 1961, a United Arab Airlines Flight 869 crash during inclement weather near Bombay, India, on 28 July 1963, and the terrorist bombing of Cyprus Airways Flight 284 off the Turkish coast on 12 October 1967. [82][143], In 1959 BOAC began shifting its Comets from transatlantic routes[N 21] and released the Comet to associate companies, making the Comet 4's ascendancy as a premier airliner brief. G-ALYP a/f 6003. The Sud-Est SE 530/532/535 Mistral (FB 53) was a single-seat fighter-bomber version of the de Havilland Vampire jet fighter, used by. [190] A Comet C2 Sagittarius with serial XK699, later maintenance serial 7971M, was formerly on display at the gate of RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire, England since 1987. USA et International; Australie; Canada; France; Allemagne; Italie; Espagne; Royaume-Uni; Qui sommes-nous; All but four Comet 2s were allocated to the RAF, deliveries beginning in 1955. Registered 18/09/1951 to de Havilland Aircraft Company. The Monarch Service is the name BOAC used for the on board experience on routes across the Atlantic. [18] The prototype's maiden flight, out of Hatfield Aerodrome, took place on 27 July 1949 and lasted 31 minutes. BOAC DE HAVILLAND COMET 4 RADIO MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE - ORIGINAL AND RARE 384272193709 Mr Charles Hardie was appointed as chairman of BOAC in succession to Sir Charles Guthrie. BOAC's Comet 4s were leased out to Air Ceylon, Air India, AREA Ecuador, Central African Airways[179] and Qantas Empire Airways;[81][180] after 1965 they were sold to AREA Ecuador, Dan-Air, Mexicana, Malaysian Airways, and the Ministry of Defence. [29][59] Two hydrogen peroxide-powered de Havilland Sprite booster rockets were originally intended to be installed to boost takeoff under hot and high altitude conditions from airports such as Khartoum and Nairobi. Here we have a superbly illustrated trade card, depicting a B.O.A.C. Design and construction flaws, including improper riveting and dangerous concentrations of stress around some of the square windows, were ultimately identified. In November 1965, BOAC retired its Comet 4s from revenue service; other operators continued commercial passenger flights with the Comet until 1981. The prototype Comet 3 first flew in July 1954 and was tested in an unpressurised state pending completion of the Cohen inquiry. [55] The engines were outfitted with baffles to reduce noise emissions, and extensive soundproofing was also implemented to improve passenger conditions. Although the fuselage failed after a number of cycles that represented three times the life of G-ALYP at the time of the accident, it was still much earlier than expected. [43] A pressurised refuelling system, developed by Flight Refuelling Ltd, allowed the Comet's fuel tanks to be refuelled at a far greater rate than by other methods. [39] Many of the control surfaces, such as the elevators, were equipped with a complex gearing system as a safeguard against accidentally over-stressing the surfaces or airframe at higher speed ranges. [62], The Comet 2 had a slightly larger wing, higher fuel capacity and more-powerful Rolls-Royce Avon engines, which all improved the aircraft's range and performance;[161] its fuselage was 3ft 1in (0.94m) longer than the Comet 1's. Prototype Comet 1 Assembly Shop The number one route was still the famous 'Kangaroo Route', which since 1947 was operated in a profit-sharing partnership with BOAC, but the airline also had routes to Hong Kong, Japan and South Africa plus now BCPA's network too. [52], Operationally, the design of the cargo holds led to considerable difficulty for the ground crew, especially baggage handlers at the airports. [24], The prototype was registered G-ALVG just before it was publicly displayed at the 1949 Farnborough Airshow before the start of flight trials. [18] Tracing fuselage failure points proved difficult with this method,[18] and de Havilland ultimately switched to conducting structural tests with a water tank that could be safely configured to increase pressures gradually. de Havilland Comet 1 jet airliner . While Captain Alan Gibson was taking . OK condition, with wear. Soon after, the de Havilland Comet became the first commercial jetliner, and it set Great Britain up to be one of the most influential nations in the development of commercial aviation. [17] From 1947 to 1948, de Havilland conducted an extensive research and development phase, including the use of several stress test rigs at Hatfield Aerodrome for small components and large assemblies alike. Surviving Comet 1s can be seen on view at the RAF Museum Cosford and the DeHavilland Museum at Salisbury Hall, London Colney. Flights commenced on 4 October 1958 with the de Havilland Comet 4, bringing jet travel to the crossing for the first time . [57] The Comet's buried-engine configuration increased its structural weight and complexity. On October 4th, 1958, a British Overseas Aircraft Corporation ( BOAC) de Havilland DH.106 Comet conducted the first-ever regularly scheduled commercial jetliner transatlantic crossing. Menu. All early Comets were withdrawn from service for accident inquiries, during which orders from British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines, Japan Air Lines, Linea Aeropostal Venezolana, National Airlines, Pan American World Airways and Panair do Brasil were cancelled. The most extensive modification resulted in a specialised maritime patrol derivative, the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, which remained in service with the Royal Air Force until 2011, over 60 years after the Comet's first flight. Vintage BOAC Airlines travel . [N 22][163] A total of 12 of the 44-seat Comet 2s were ordered by BOAC for the South Atlantic route. [42] Power was syphoned from all four engines for the hydraulics, cabin air conditioning, and the de-icing system; these systems had operational redundancy in that they could keep working even if only a single engine was active. Some amazing Britannia footage, Stratocruisers & DC-7Cs too! [144] In 1960, as part of a government-backed consolidation of the British aerospace industry, de Havilland itself was acquired by Hawker Siddeley, within which it became a wholly owned division. LONDON, Jan. 2 (ReutersSir Giles Guthrie, new c hairman of the publicIy owned British Overseas Airways Corporation has ordered a review of the . [28] Two pairs of turbojet engines (on the Comet 1s, Halford H.2 Ghosts, subsequently known as de Havilland Ghost 50 Mk1s) were buried into the wings. The five-stop flight from London to Johannesburg was scheduled for 21 hr 20 min. All airline customers for the Comet 3 subsequently cancelled their orders and switched to the Comet 4,[63] which was based on the Comet 3 but with improved fuel capacity. [5] Aviation company de Havilland was interested in this requirement, but chose to challenge the then widely held view that jet engines were too fuel-hungry and unreliable for such a role. Two of these were found to be caused by structural failure resulting from metal fatigue in the airframe, a phenomenon not fully understood at the time; the other was due to overstressing of the airframe during flight through severe weather. Dan-Air played a significant role in the fleet's later history and, at one time, owned all 49 remaining airworthy civil Comets. They ran smoothly and were less noisy than piston engines, had low maintenance costs and were fuel-efficient above 30,000ft (9,100m). FOR SALE! The inquiries into the accidents that plagued the Comet 1 were perhaps some of the most extensive and revolutionary that have ever taken place, establishing precedents in accident investigation; many of the deep-sea salvage and aircraft reconstruction techniques employed have remained in use within the aviation industry. 192 Squadron RAF Comet 2R beyond repair on 13 September 1957, and three Middle East Airlines Comet 4Cs were destroyed by Israeli troops at Beirut, Lebanon, on 28 December 1968. The first Comet 4B flew on 27 June 1959 and BEA began Tel Aviv to London-Heathrow services on 1 April 1960. [56], Placing the engines within the wings had the advantage of a reduction in the risk of foreign object damage, which could seriously damage jet engines. June - Oct 1955 Aircraft: Constellation Night stop in Singapore both ways BA704/705: First Class only BA706/707: Tourist Class only BA706 LHR-ZRH-BEY-KHI-CCU-SIN-JKT-DRW-SYD Day 1 arr +4 days BA704 LHR-ZRH-BEY-KHI-CCU-SIN-JKT-DRW-SYD Day 36 arr +4 days [169] As a flying testbed, it was later modified with Avon RA29 engines fitted, as well as replacing the original long-span wings with reduced span wings as the Comet 3B and demonstrated in British European Airways (BEA) livery at the Farnborough Airshow in September 1958. [13][18][19] The entire forward fuselage section was tested for metal fatigue by repeatedly pressurising to 2.75 pounds per square inch (19.0kPa) overpressure and depressurising through more than 16,000 cycles, equivalent to about 40,000 hours of airline service. BOAC Comet 4 British Airways Source: Duxford Aviation Society Soon after, Boeing launched its first long-haul narrowbody jet, the four-engine Boeing 707, using the lessons learned from the. The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner. [107][108] The forensic reconstruction effort had just begun when the Abell Committee reported its findings. PHOTO estn en eBay Compara precios y caractersticas de productos nuevos y usados Muchos artculos con envo gratis! Among those also on board were the respective BOAC and de Havilland managing directors, Basil Smallpeice and Aubrey Burke. These improvements were possible largely because of Avon engines, with twice the thrust of the Comet 1's Ghosts. Peggy Thorne, pictured left, in her BOAC uniform ahead of the first transatlantic jet engine flight in 1958 and the crew on board the BOAC Comet. To achieve optimum efficiency with the new powerplants, the air intakes were enlarged to increase mass air flow. The need to inspect areas not easily viewable by the naked eye led to the introduction of widespread radiography examination in aviation; this also had the advantage of detecting cracks and flaws too small to be seen otherwise. This simply meant that the planes landed on solid ground at airports rather than water. Nigeria Airways timetable August 1965 - page 1 [191][192] In 2012, with the planned closure of RAF Lyneham, the aircraft was slated to be dismantled and shipped to the RAF Museum Cosford where it was to be re-assembled for display. The cargo hold had its doors located directly underneath the aircraft, so each item of baggage or cargo had to be loaded vertically upwards from the top of the baggage truck, then slid along the hold floor to be stacked inside. [82] Three fatal Comet 1 crashes due to structural problems, specifically BOAC Flight 783 on 2 May 1953, BOAC Flight 781 on 10 January 1954 and South African Airways Flight 201 on 8 April 1954, led to the grounding of the entire Comet fleet. 106 Comet.". As well as thorough visual inspections of the outer skin, mandatory structural sampling was routinely conducted by both civil and military Comet operators. All 43 on board were killed. For the 1930s racing aircraft, see, "Comet (aircraft)" redirects here. The Ministry of Supply's order for DH 108s was listed as Operational Requirement OR207 to Specification E.18/45. [83] Financial problems and a takeover by United Airlines meant that Capital would never operate the Comet. [176] The final Nimrod aircraft were retired in June 2011. [9] Several unorthodox configurations were considered, ranging from canard to tailless designs;[N 4] All were rejected. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for BOAC REVIEW AIRLINE STAFF MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 1965 B.O.A.C. or Best Offer. The failure then occurred longitudinally along a fuselage stringer at the widest point of the fuselage and through a cut out for an escape hatch. [25] Australian airline Qantas also sent its own technical experts to observe the performance of the prototypes, seeking to quell internal uncertainty about its prospective Comet purchase. The Comet, with its. The flight to Johannesburg lasted 18 hours and 40 minutes. [155] Boeing stated that podded engines were selected for their passenger airliners because buried engines carried a higher risk of catastrophic wing failure in the event of engine fire. [183] Dan-Air bought all of the surviving flyable Comet 4s from the late 1960s into the 1970s; some were for spares reclamation, but most were operated on the carrier's inclusive-tour charters; a total of 48 Comets of all marks were acquired by the airline. [17] The majority of hydraulic components were centred in a single avionics bay. The Comet 1 was powered by four 2,018 kg thrust de Havilland Ghost turbojets buried in the wing roots. The aircraft featured an aerodynamically clean design with four de Havilland Ghost turbojet engines buried in the wing roots, a pressurized cabin, and large square windows. First production Comet for BOAC. : This photo of Super VC10 G-ASGD taken in Mexico in 1972 shows the Speedbird livery without Cunard titles. For the first time ever, a jet-propelled aircraft was carrying. Institution of Electrical Engineers 1978, p. 89. [29], The original Comet was the approximate length of, but not as wide as, the later Boeing 737-100, and carried fewer people in a significantly more-spacious environment. The individual pieces of luggage and cargo also had to be retrieved in a similarly slow manner at the arriving airport. Its introduction into BOAC service in May 1952, was greeted as the dawning of a new age in passenger travel. The Ministry of Supply was interested in the most radical of the proposed designs, and ordered two experimental tailless DH 108s[N 5] to serve as proof of concept aircraft for testing swept-wing configurations in both low-speed and high-speed flight. [141] The last Comet 4 variant, the Comet 4C, first flew on 31 October 1959 and entered service with Mexicana in 1960. [198] Since the 2000s, several parties have proposed restoring Canopus, which is maintained by a staff of volunteers,[199] to airworthy, fully flight-capable condition. At the end of the month this Comet was brought back to Hatfield from Cambridge (Marshall's) where 'radio' mods were made (JH). [142] The Comet 4C had the Comet 4B's longer fuselage and the longer wings and extra fuel tanks of the original Comet 4, which gave it a longer range than the 4B. [110][128], Following the Comet enquiry, aircraft were designed to "Fail safe" or "Safe Life" standards,[129] though several subsequent catastrophic fatigue failures, such as Aloha Airlines Flight 243 of April 28, 1988 have occurred. Following its first flight, the special order Comet 4C was described as "the world's first executive jet. #dehavilland #comet #dehavillandcomet #boac #route #londontotokyo #schedule #1953 #todayinhistory #unitedkingdom #uk #japan #flag . A BOAC Comet 1 at London Airport in 1955. The aircraft, registered G-ALYP, had taken off shortly before from Ciampino Airport in Rome, en route to . First flying on 27 July 1949 the revolutionary jet powered airliner first entered service with BOAC in May 1952. "Report of the court investigation on the accident to COMET G-ALYV", "B.O.A.C. . [175][N 24], The last two Comet 4C aircraft produced were modified as prototypes (XV148 & XV147) to meet a British requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft for the Royal Air Force; initially named "Maritime Comet", the design was designated Type HS 801. As the aircraft could be profitable with a load factor as low as 43 percent, commercial success was expected. BOAC Flight 781 was a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) passenger flight from Singapore to London. Crashed near Elba 10/1/54. [162] Design changes had been made to make the aircraft more suitable for transatlantic operations. On 10 January 1954, 20minutes after taking off from Ciampino, the first production Comet, G-ALYP, broke up in mid-air while operating BOAC Flight 781 and crashed into the Mediterranean off the Italian island of Elba with the loss of all 35 on board. Be sure to check my channel for the best in VINTAGE & RARE airliner videos! [83][84] Qantas was interested in the Comet 1 but concluded that a version with more range and better takeoff performance was needed for the London to Canberra route. BOAC SOUTH PACIFIC Route Airline Menu Ny -San Francisco-Honolulu-Nandi-Sydney - $38.98. At about 10:51 GMT, the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression at . Specialised signals intelligence and electronic surveillance capability was later added to some airframes. [72] BOAC Comet 1 at Entebbe Airport, Uganda in 1952 Prince Philip returned from the Helsinki Olympic Games with G-ALYS on 4 August 1952. Photo RuthAs CCA-3 First out of the blocks as those schoolboys have told us was the Comet 1. [12] The DH 108s were later modified to test the DH.106's power controls. ARD ARD2012 BOAC De Havilland DH.106 Comet 4 G-APDT Diecast 1/200 Model Airplane. Free shipping for many products! [28], One of the most striking aspects of Comet travel was the quiet, "vibration-free flying" as touted by BOAC. 1961: West express A new Qantas route from London to Perth has refuelling stops in Tehran, Karachi,. 2 December: The inaugural flight of a BOAC Comet 4 aircraft on the London to Johannesburg route took place. The Comet 4 was ordered by two other airlines: Aerolneas Argentinas took delivery of six Comet 4s from 1959 to 1960, using them between Buenos Aires and Santiago, New York and . [82][178][181] BEA's Comet 4Bs were chartered by Cyprus Airways, Malta Airways and Transportes Areos Portugueses. The Approximate London, Frankfurt, Rome, Athens, Cairo, Khartoum, Entebbe, Nairobi, Livingstone, Johannesburg Route Operated By BOAC DH COMET 1 Aircraft During The Early/Mid 1950's: . BOAC DE HAVILLAND Comet 4 Radio Maintenance Schedule - Original And Rare - $73.31. [28] The clean, low-drag design of the aircraft featured many design elements that were fairly uncommon at the time, including a swept-wing leading edge, integral wing fuel tanks, and four-wheel bogie main undercarriage units designed by de Havilland. Though these lessons could be implemented on the drawing board for future aircraft, corrections could only be retroactively applied to the Comet. [50] The chemical bonding process was accomplished using a new adhesive, Redux, which was liberally used in the construction of the wings and the fuselage of the Comet; it also had the advantage of simplifying the manufacturing process. At about 10:00 GMT, the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression . Cunningham: "[the Comet] flew extremely smoothly and responded to the controls in the best way de Havilland aircraft usually did.". [69][70][71] The final Comet from BOAC's initial order, registered G-ALYZ, began flying in September 1952 and carried cargo along South American routes while simulating passenger schedules. SA on 22 nd January 1952. Investigators did not consider metal fatigue as a contributory cause. The. ", This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 18:58. Although the 707 was winning most of the major airline orders, BOAC, flying Comet 4s, still managed to achieve the first commercial transatlantic crossing in a jet airliner - twice. Avon-powered Comets were distinguished by larger air intakes and curved tailpipes that reduced the thermal effect on the rear fuselage. [157], The Comet 1 was the first model produced, a total of 12 aircraft in service and test. BOAC uses the Comet 4, Qantas the Boeing 707. BOAC, British Airways' predecessor, operated the first transatlantic jet engine flight on 4 October, 1958, beating arch-rival Pan Am to become the first to do so. This is at your risk. Witnesses observed the wingless Comet on fire plunging into the village of Jagalgori,[92] leading investigators to suspect structural failure. [165] Although these aircraft performed well on test flights on the South Atlantic, their range was still not suitable for the North Atlantic. On October 4th, 1958, a British Overseas Aircraft Corporation ( BOAC) de Havilland DH.106 Comet conducted the first-ever regularly scheduled commercial jetliner transatlantic crossing. BOAC flight crew revelled in standing a pen on end and pointing that out to passengers; invariably, the pen remained upright throughout the entire flight. Also in that year the Comet route to New York was extended to Nassau and Montego Bay. [81][82] When the redesigned Comet 4 entered service, it was flown by customers BOAC, Aerolneas Argentinas, and East African Airways,[178] while the Comet 4B variant was operated by customers BEA and Olympic Airways [178] and the Comet 4C model was flown by customers Kuwait Airways, Mexicana, Middle East Airlines, Misrair Airlines and Sudan Airways. Initially used for development, training and route proving before the inaugural jet service to Jo,burg. [82], Both early accidents were originally attributed to pilot error, as over-rotation had led to a loss of lift from the leading edge of the aircraft's wings.
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