Walk Arount the De Havilland Comet

The De Havilland Comet was the world’s first commercial jet airliner to enter service and first flew in July 1949, just 4 years after the end of the Second World War. The aircraft was absolutely groundbreaking – just think, it flew only 8 years after the Avro Lancaster’s first flight!

The aircraft entered commercial service in 1952 and was far faster than its piston counterparts such as the Avro York and the Lockheed Constellation. The Comet was one of the first airliners to be equipped with a pressurised cabin, which allowed it to fly at higher altitudes, where the air is generally more stable.

Early models of the Comet were plagued by a number of catastrophic structural failures that were caused by metal fatigue. This led to a number of aircraft breaking-up mid-air, resulting in the loss of all passengers on board. Investigations later determined that the aircraft’s square windows were the cause of the accidents.

Despite its setbacks the Comet had a massive influence on subsequent aircraft designs. The Comet was developed into the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, which first flew in 1967 and was operated by the Royal Air Force as a Maritime Patrol Aircraft until it was retired in 2011.

The Comet set several aviation records during its operational life and was the first jet airliner to exceed 50,000 flying hours. The aircraft also held the record for the fastest transatlantic crossing until it was overtaken by Boeing’s 707.