In 1967, BOAC introduced its own Pacific route to Australia via New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Fiji. The Johannesburg-bound Comet, designated G-ALYP by BOAC, flew at 450-500 mph at 35-40,000 feet, covering 6,700 miles in 23 hours and 20 minutes, with stops in Rome, Beirut, Khartoum, Entebbe, and Livingstone. 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. On whether we grasp this opportunity and so establish firmly an industry of the utmost strategic and economic importance, our future as a great nation may depend. [77][78] A slightly longer version of the Comet 1 with more powerful engines, the Comet 2, was being developed,[79] and orders were placed by Air India,[80] British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines,[81] Japan Air Lines,[82] Linea Aeropostal Venezolana,[82] and Panair do Brasil. [N 2] As a result, committee member Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, head of the de Havilland company, used his personal influence and his company's expertise to champion the development of a jet-propelled aircraft; proposing a specification for a pure turbojet-powered design. [47] In 1969, when the Comet 4's design was modified by Hawker Siddeley to become the basis for the Nimrod, the cockpit layout was completely redesigned and bore little resemblance to its predecessors except for the control yoke. BOAC Flight 781 was a scheduled British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) passenger flight from Singapore to London. [4] One of its recommendations was for the development and production of a pressurised, transatlantic mailplane that could carry 1 long ton (2,200lb; 1,000kg) of payload at a cruising speed of 400mph (640km/h) non-stop. [45] An EKCO E160 radar unit was installed in the Comet 4's nose cone, providing search functions as well as ground and cloud-mapping capabilities,[38] and a radar interface was built into the Comet 4 cockpit along with redesigned instruments. At the end of the month this Comet was brought back to Hatfield from Cambridge (Marshall's) where 'radio' mods were made (JH). [102] The prestigious nature of the Comet project, particularly for the British aerospace industry, and the financial impact of the aircraft's grounding on BOAC's operations both served to pressure the inquiry to end without further investigation. At about 10:00 GMT, the aircraft suffered an explosive decompression . [58], The Comet 1 featured 5,050lbf (22.5kN) de Havilland Ghost 50 Mk1 turbojet engines. Dan-Air played a significant role in the fleet's later history and, at one time, owned all 49 remaining airworthy civil Comets. In 1962, BOAC and the British steamship company Cunard formed BOAC-Cunard Ltd, operating services to North America, the Caribbean and South America. [147] The Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome also displays a related Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2 aircraft. [31] Large picture window views and table seating accommodations for a row of passengers afforded a feeling of comfort and luxury unusual for transportation of the period. Proctor, Jon, Mike Machat and Craig Kodera. [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. 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. Entering service in 1969, five Nimrod variants were produced. Posts: 86 [15] The Comet 4 was considered the definitive series, having a longer range, higher cruising speed and higher maximum takeoff weight. Another clue is in the BA flight numbers in the schedules. Both of these aeroplanes would continue to operate side by side until the formation of British Airways PLC in 1974. [104], During the investigation, the Royal Navy conducted recovery operations. Armour had to be placed around the engine cells to contain debris from any serious engine failures; also, placing the engines inside the wing required a more complicated wing structure. ", "De Havilland Comet 4B airliner, serial no 6438, 1960. [20] The windows were also tested under a pressure of 12psi (83kPa), 4.75psi (32.8kPa) above expected pressures at the normal service ceiling of 36,000ft (11,000m). ), BOAC, and de Havilland. Prototype Comet 1 Assembly Shop [94], The inquiry's recommendations revolved around the enforcement of stricter speed limits during turbulence, and two significant design changes also resulted: all Comets were equipped with weather radar and the "Q feel" system was introduced, which ensured that control column forces (invariably called stick forces) would be proportional to control loads. The Feb 1959 OAG shows eight transatlantic Comets a week out of London, plus 10 BOAC Britannias and 11 DC-7Cs. On 10 January 1954, a de Havilland Comet passenger jet operating the flight suffered an explosive decompression at altitude and crashed, killing all 35 people on board. [8] First-phase development of the DH.106 focused on short- and intermediate-range mailplanes with small passenger compartments and as few as six seats, before being redefined as a long-range airliner with a capacity of 24 seats. "[125] "DeHavilland went to oval windows on the subsequent Marks because it was easier to Redux them in,(use adhesive) - nothing to do with the stress concentration and it's purely to remove rivets." [32] Amenities included a galley that could serve hot and cold food and drinks, a bar, and separate men's and women's toilets. [22][23] At the controls was de Havilland chief test pilot John "Cats Eyes" Cunningham, a famous night-fighter pilot of the Second World War, along with co-pilot Harold "Tubby" Waters, engineers John Wilson (electrics) and Frank Reynolds (hydraulics), and flight test observer Tony Fairbrother. The de Havilland Comet 4 aircraft reduced the flight time between London and New York to seven hours - significantly less than the 18-20 hours it took on the Boeing Stratocruiser [76] Popular Mechanics wrote that Britain had a lead of three to five years on the rest of the world in jetliners. On 4 October . The COMET 4 remained in BOAC trans-Atlantic service though as new north American destinations . In later years we realised that these were the indications of how flimsy the structure really was. The span was 115ft (35m), and overall length 93ft (28m); the maximum takeoff weight was over 105,000lb (48,000kg) and over 40 passengers could be carried. They were bound for Idlewild via a stop at Gander, Newfoundland, which would be commonplace on eastbound flights. [57] The Comet's buried-engine configuration increased its structural weight and complexity. [63] Upgraded Avon engines were introduced on the Comet 3,[63] and the Avon-powered Comet 4 was highly praised for its takeoff performance from high-altitude locations such as Mexico City where it was operated by Mexicana de Aviacion, a major scheduled passenger air carrier. The Abell Committee focused on six potential aerodynamic and mechanical causes: control flutter (which had led to the loss of DH 108 prototypes), structural failure due to high loads or metal fatigue of the wing structure, failure of the powered flight controls, failure of the window panels leading to explosive decompression, or fire and other engine problems. The redesigned aircraft was named the DH.106 Comet in December 1947. Empire of the Clouds - James Hamilton-Paterson P 39-40, Faber and Faber 2010, Report of the Court of Inquiry into the Accidents to Comet G-ALYP on 10th January 1954 and Comet G-ALYY on 8th April 1954-HM Stationery Office 1955-p 20 - para 78-79, The DeHavilland Comet Disaster - Aerospace Engineering - Paul Withey Professor of Casting at the University of Birmingham School of Metallurgy - Video presentation retrieved 30NOV22, The deHavilland Comet Disaster - Aerospace Engineering - Paul Withey Professor of Casting at the University of Birmingham School of Metallurgy - Video presentation retrieved 30NOV22 Time stamp 42:07, The DeHavilland Comet Disaster - Aerospace Engineering - Paul Withey Professor of Casting at the University of Birmingham School of Metallurgy - Video presentation retrieved 30NOV22 Time stamp 58:27. [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. On the Eastern route there was a 22% increase in traffic but on the Southern route only a 2% increase." ", "XS235 - De Havilland DH-106 Comet 4C - United Kingdom - Royal Air Force (RAF) - David Oates", "Milestones in Aircraft Structural Integrity", "Aircraft Accident Report AAR8903: Aloha Airlines, Flight 243, Boeing 737-200, N73711", "De Havilland DH.106 Comet 4C, OD-ADT, MEA Middle East Airlines. [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. [28], One of the most striking aspects of Comet travel was the quiet, "vibration-free flying" as touted by BOAC. Pen and Sword, 2013. [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. 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. [149], According to de Havilland's chief test pilot John Cunningham, who had flown the prototype's first flight, representatives from American manufacturers such as Boeing and Douglas privately disclosed that if de Havilland had not experienced the Comet's pressurisation problems first, it would have happened to them. Principal investigator Hall accepted the RAE's conclusion of design and construction flaws as the likely explanation for G-ALYU's structural failure after 3,060 pressurisation cycles. G-ALYR a/f 6004. 14.". First flying on 27 July 1949 the revolutionary jet powered airliner first entered service with BOAC in May 1952. [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. "World Beater: Homage to the DH. Now from a BOAC 1971 Timetable. 1 January. [194] A Comet 4B (G-APYD) is stored in a facility at the Science Museum at Wroughton in Wiltshire, England. Vintage BOAC Airlines travel . The court acted under the provisions of Rule 75 of the Indian Aircraft Rules 1937. ", GB-High Wycombe: "Dismantlement and relocation of Gate Guardian Comet C2 XK699. [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. [176] The final Nimrod aircraft were retired in June 2011. Courtesy British Airways. [197], The last Comet to fly, Comet 4C Canopus (XS235),[1] is kept in running condition at Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome, where fast taxi-runs are regularly conducted. [118] Once the crack initiated the skin failed from the point of the ADF cut out and propagated downwards and rearwards along a stringer resulting in an explosive decompression. Extensively modified at the factory, the aircraft included a VIP front cabin, a bed, special toilets with gold fittings and was distinguished by a green, gold and white colour scheme with polished wings and lower fuselage that was commissioned from aviation artist John Stroud. As a result, the Comet was extensively redesigned, with oval windows, structural reinforcements and other changes. [97][N 17], Just over a year later, Rome's Ciampino airport, the site of the first Comet hull loss, was the origin of a more-disastrous Comet flight. [102], In water-tank testing, engineers subjected G-ALYU to repeated repressurisation and over-pressurisation, and on 24 June 1954, after 3,057 flight cycles (1,221 actual and 1,836 simulated),[113] G-ALYU burst open. In April 1960, 13 Comets, 19 Britannias and 6 DC-7Cs. FR. BOAC DE HAVILLAND Comet 4 Radio Maintenance Schedule - Original And Rare - $73.31. BEA's Super One-Eleven aircraft enter scheduled service on German internal routes. Atkinson, R. J., W. J. Winkworth and G. M. Norris. [61] Comet 1s subsequently received more powerful 5,700lbf (25kN) Ghost DGT3 series engines. [5][N 6] With no time to develop the technology necessary for a proposed tailless configuration, Bishop opted for a more conventional 20-degree swept-wing design[N 7] with unswept tail surfaces, married to an enlarged fuselage accommodating 36 passengers in a four-abreast arrangement with a central aisle. The event would open up new opportunities for the aviation industry, leaving a legacy over six decades later. The wing was drastically redesigned from a 40 sweep. The Comet gave BOAC four years lead in modern jet airliners over the rest of the world. To achieve optimum efficiency with the new powerplants, the air intakes were enlarged to increase mass air flow. Another nine Comet 3 airframes were not completed and their construction was abandoned at Hatfield. [82][186] A hangar fire damaged a No. "Comet Service To South America Planned" (News). [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. [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. - 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 [73] Flights on the Comet were about 50 percent faster compared to advanced piston-engined aircraft such as the Douglas DC-6 (490mph (790km/h)) De Havilland nonetheless began a refit programme to strengthen the fuselage and wing structure, employing thicker-gauge skin and replacing the rectangular windows and panels with rounded versions, although this was not related to the erroneous 'square' window claim, as can be seen by the fact that the fuselage escape hatch cut-outs (the source of the failure in test aircraft G-ALYU) retained their rectangular shape. 2 March. 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