De Havilland Comet. The Worlds First Jet Airliner

65 Pages·1999·40.81 MB·English

by  R.E.G. Davies

DE Il,WILLAND
COMET
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C O M E T
The World's First Jet Airliner
OTHER BOOI(S BYPALADWR PRESS
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The World's First Jet Airliner
J.
by R.E. G. Davies and Philip Birtles
Illustrated ~V Mike Machat
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This book is dedicated to the determined team
of pioneer designers and engineers
who created the world's first jet airliner.
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© 1999 R.E.G. Davies and PhilipJ. Birtles
All rights reserved. No part of this publication, including photographs, maps, and artwork, may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of Paladwr Press.
Published by Paladwr Press, 1906 Wilson Lane, #101, Mclean, Virginia 22102-1957, USA
Manufactured in Hong Kong
Book Design by R.E.G. Davies
Artwork by Mike Machat
Maps by R.E.G. Davies
Typesetting/Layout by Spot Color Incorporated, Virginia
Prepress and press management by The Drawing Board
ISBN 1-888962-14-3
First Edition
Contents
Foreword Author's Preface & Introduction ..6-7 Comet 3 Almost a Breakthrough 36-37
byJohn Cunningham First Trans-Atlantic Jet B.O.A.C Comet 4 38-39
Abandoned Hopes The Brabazon Committee 8-9 Aerolineas Argentinas Comet 4 Mexicana Comet4C 40-41
Trans-Atlantic Mailplane Swept Wing 10-1 1 B.OAC. Comets Span the World East African Airways Comet 4 42-43
The Great Team Early Experiments 12-13 Short Haul Comet B.E.A. Comet 4B 44-45
Visionary Design Advanced Manufacturing 14-15 Olympic Airways Comet 4B U.A.A. Comet 4C 46-47
De Havilland Ghost Dramatic Debut 16-17 Middle East Airlines Comet 4C Sudan Airways Comet 4C 48-49
Test Flights The New Vision 18-19 World's First ExecutiveJet Kuwait Airways Comet 4C 50-51
B.O.A.C Makes History B.O.A.C DH 106 Comet 1 20-21 Malaysian Airways Comet 4 Soldiering On 52-53
World's FirstJet Airline Network U.A.T. (Aeromaritime) Comet 1A 22-23 The Biggest Fleet Dan-Air Comet 4 Series 54-55
Elegance Aloft Air France Comet 1A 24-25 Last of the Air Force Comets Canopus 56-57
The Comet Sets the Pace Air Force Involvement. 26-27 The Mighty Hunter Nimrod 58-59
Disaster Salvage 28-29 Cold War Duty Nimrod 2000 60-61
Structural Challenge Metal Fatigue 30-31 The Legacy D.H. Dynasty 62-63
Rolls Royce Avon Comet 2 Series 32-33 Index 64
The Comet Flies On What Might Have Been 34-35
5
Foreword
by John Cunningham
Ron Davies and Philip Birtles have produced a detailed aircraftprocurement, arranged for meto gain experience
record ofthe devefopmentand production ofthe de Hav on theConstellation 049, which the airlinewasoperating
illand Comet, the world's first jet airliner. It is now 50 across the Atlantic. Up until then, mywartime experience
years since the Comet 1first took off and the event was had not included any transport aircraft operations.
probably the biggest single step forward that the world Towards the end of 1946, Ispent a month in Canada at
has seen in airline comfort and speed. B.O.A.C.'s Constellation base at Dorval Airport, Mon
The foresight and courage ofthe de Havilland com treal, and also did some trans-Atlantic flying. In the fol
pany and its designers were the inspiration of an aero lowingyear, Idid a long flighttoSydney, Australia, in the
nautical breakthrough that was eventually to lead to the right-hand seat, to become more familiar with airline pro
advent ofthe commercial jet airliner. cedures, cabin practices, and discipline.
I had the privilege to be part of this dramatic On 27July 1949, the Comet was presented to me
episode of aviation history. From 1935 to 1938 I had for flying. Before making that epoch-making first flight, I
had three years of technical training at the de Havilland insisted that, in the morning,J did three "hops" to testthe
Technical School and Iflew as the fourth junior test pilot elevator, aileron, and rudder controls for satisfactory
with the company from 1938 until Iwas mobilized into response. That series of tests concluded successfully, the
the Royal Air Force in August 1939, at the outbreak of D.H. 106 experimental shop chief inspector wished to
John Cunningham climbs aboard the Ghost-powered Vampire
the Second World War. put the aircraft up on jacks to satisfy himself that the which was used for high altitude testing ofthe Ghostengine for
Atthattime, incidentally, numbers 1, 2, and 3 ofthe undercarriage (still onlytwo big singlewheels) had been theComet. (DHphoto]
D.H. Test pilot team were "young" Geoffrey de Havil able to sustain the loads adequately.
land, George Gibbins, and GuyTucker, respectively. My At about5 p.m. he told me that Icould have the air
main work then was in the development of the D.H. 94 craft. The weather was fine and at6 o'clock we took off.
Moth Minor. I had already got to know Ron Bishop, The flight lasted about 35 minutes and confirmed all the
Richard Clarkson, and Bill Tamblin, amongst others, new features that had been combined in our experience
during the 1930s; and I flew at weekends at R.A.F. during the previousdevelopmentwork: Ghostengine per
Hendon, after joining the Auxiliary Air Force in 1935. formance, speed characteristics, and full power controls.
Afterdemobilization (as aGroup Captain) in Decem We landed without any problems. Together with
ber 1945, Irejoined de Havilland and tookcharge ofthe John Wilson, my co-pilot; Tony Fairbrother, flight test
D.H. Engine Company's flying tests and was mainly con observer; Frank Reynolds, largely responsible for the
cerned with the developmentofFrank Halford'sGoblin jet hydraulics; and Tubby Waters, who was responsible for
engine. Meanwhile, Geoffreyde Havilland was doing the the electrics, I had made the first Comet take-off.
development flying in the D.H.108 high-speed tail-less Atthis stage, Ihand overto the authors ofthis book,
research aircraft, but was tragically killed in September which in a sense, also takes off, to embellish and con
1946. Sir Geoffrey asked me to take over the responsi tinue my story. It pays full tribute to one of the most sig
bility for all the test flying at Hatfield. nificantaeroplanes in the entire historyofcommercial air
By this time, the proposals and plans to build the transport.
D.H.106-the Comet-were well under way, so that my
mainactivities were concerned with preparations for John Cunningham
flying and subsequent f1tght development of that aircraft. Kinsbourne Green
John CunninghaminthecockpitofComet4CCanopusduringits
Alan Campbell-Orde, B.O.A.C.'s director in charge of 22 February 1999
last operational flight on 14 March 1997. This was the world's
last flying Comet. (DERA colourphoto]
6
Authors' Preface & Introduction
Authors MyfirstmemoryoftheCometwasshortlyafterIjoinedthedeHav era. Douglas.,.oC-7Cs, Lockheed 1049G and 1649 Constellations,
illand Aeronautical Technical School-the famed "D.H.Tech."-at Hat BoeingStratocruisers,andeventhefirstturbopropVickersViscountsand
Inthelatesummerof1949,alongwithabout80,000otherspectatorsatthe field in September 1957. The first Comet4 G-APDA for B.OAC. was Bristol Britannias could be spotted as they parked at the gates of the
annual FarnboroughAir Show, Iwatched the demonstrotion ofa newair moved down the production line backwards, with its nose in the air, to newly-builtInternationalArrivalsBuilding. Seeingandsmelling thatwon
liner. Its performance was electrifying. Its high-speed run and display the high bay at the end of the Erecting Shop. It was taken up on its derfulwhite smokeas those radial enginesstarted upwas simplyintoxi
matchedthoseofthelatestfighters.Ishoredwiththerestofthespectatorsan maidenflightononeofthedayswhen IwasattendingCollege,and we cating tothis futureaviationartist.
excitedpridethatthedeHavillandComethadprojected Britain intoworld wereall trying tocatch aglimpseoftheaircraftfrom ourlectureroom. Then, onSaturday,October4, 1958,somethingchanged. Forthe
leadership.AIthattime,IwasaninterestedobserverwhileworkingforPeter During mytraining asan engineering apprentice, Iwas assigned first time, the aroma ofkerosene filled the air, and a stunning newair
MasefieldattheMinistryofCivilAviation. Tenyearslater,afterspellswith totheCometWingShop,wheremywarkinvolvedtheinstallationoffuel plane stood dramatically on the east ramp in front of Ihousands of
Masefield at B.EA and Bristol, I joined de Havilland and, in chorge of pipesthroughIheribsandtankwallstotheintegralwingtanks. Ihadto excited spectatorson the observation deck. Itwas B.O.A.C'sde Havil
MorketResearch,wasabletohelpinasmallwaytosellaCometortwo. climb through the small underwing manholes, wriggle between sections landComet4whichhadjustlandedafterasix-hourflightfromLondon
Fiftyyearslater,thatremarkableaeroplaneiscommemoratedbya ofremoved ribs,draggingaleadlamp,tools,andthepartstobeassem the world's firstcommercial jetservice to NewYork. That sleekaircraft
newpostagestamp. The U.K. PostOfficechose the Comet(on the 20P bled. Intheenclosedspace, heavywith sealantfumes, andlyingoncor could have justlanded from Mars, as faras the crowd was concerned,
denomination) torepresentoneofBritain'sgreatestachievementsduring rugated cardboard, itwas notdifficultto doze offduring the morning, for itrepresented avisual imagethatsaid, "thefuture hasarrived!"The
Ihecurrentmillienium. aftera nightoutatthelocalpub. Comet's elegantand graceful lines were highlighled by its shiny metal
No praise is too high for the team whose combined experience, Myfirstflight ina Cometwas oneImanagedto scroungeduring wingsandbelly,polishedtoamirrorfinishandreflectingallthemulti-eol
knowledge, intuition, foresight, and, above all, courage, produced the myapprenticeship.Itwasa30-minuteproductiontestflightinthefirst4B, aredgroundequipmentnownestledaround herflanks.
world'sfirstcommercialjetairliner.Thiswas,moreover,onlyfouryearsafter G-APMA,forB.EAinJuly1959.ItwascaptainedbyJohnCunningham, Warm memoriesofthatmagnificentdaypermeated mystudioasI
the British aircraft industry had emerged from a crippling Second World who was laterto become my boss. On completion of my five years of putthefinishing touchesontheprofiledrawingfoundonpage39ofthis
War, andhadabandonedseveroIpromisingairlinerprojectsin 1939. training as a mechanical and production engineer, I was fortunate book, for Ihavechosen "G-APDC," thatactual airplane, as the subject
.> Often forgotten todayisthemoodoftheaeronauticalworld atthe enough to jointheTestPilots' Department, asPersonal AssistanttoJohn, for Ron's chapter on the B.OAC. Comet4. As always, Iwas amazed
time.Contemporaryskepticswerealmostunanimousinassertingthatjet whowasD.H.'sChiefTestPilotand Director. Among myearlytaskswas to learn of the prominence of "Macha!'s Law" (the unpredictability of
propulsion was ideal for mililary aircraft, butexcessive and expensive tomanagetheoperationofKingSaud'sluxuryComet4C,SA-R-7,which color scheme variations) as Iresearched and produced the 26 profiles
fuel consumptionwouldruleoutcommercialapplications_ wastragicallylostin theAlpsnearCuneo. seen herein. Some of the more interesling details can be found in the
While the Tridentand the D.H.125 were being developed in the artist'snotesaccompanying thevariousdrawings.TheCometisabeau
DeHavilland'sfaithprovedthemwrong.Muchcreditmustbegiven
also to the launch customer, British Overseas Airways Corporation early 1960s,thelastoftheCometswerebeingproducedatHatfieldand tiful airplane whose graceful lines are timeless, and itwas an absolute
(B.O.A.C.) the British state-owned airlinewhich matched de Havilland's Chester. One of these was for United Arab Airlines, and I flew from pleasure to draw. Ihopeyou will enjoyreading this bookas much as I
faith with equally enthusiastic support. De Havilland and B.O.A.C. Chester to Hatfield with Captain Shams, the chief pilot of the airline. enjoyed illustrating it.
togetherintroduced jettravel 10a hithertosceptical world. Onceaccepted, itwas flown straight to Heathrow, where itcollected a MikeMachat,Woodland Hills, February 1999
Sadly,thedevastatingcrashesof1954settheprojectbackbyfour loadofpassengersforthescheduledservicetoCairo.
years, and allowed rival manufacturers to benefit from de Havillond's AmongmyinterestingCometflightswastheretirementofDan-Air's Acknowledgements
enterprise. De Havilland had leaped boldly intothe unknown realms of Comet4, G-APDB, from Lasham toDuxfard, in February 1974,and the
seven-mile-high altitude flying, meeting operational phenomena which last operational flight of the last Comet, Canopus, XS235, from In compiling this historical record ofan historic aeroplane, the authors
werecompletelyunknownatthetime. Boscombe Down on 14 March 1997, which Iwas delighted to share were fortunate to beable to draw inspiration and encouragement from
Counteracting that tragic episode were the Comet's numerous withJohnCunningham. several of the key members of the remarkable Cometdesign team and
achievements, invariablyoverlookedbysomanyaviationhistorians:high MyfirstpublicationwasaCometprofilein 1966,andIhavebeen other de Havilland alumni who were closely associated with them. In
fuel consumption compensated for bycheap priceatthepumps; mainte writing on aviation subjects ever since, including 20 books. I have doing this, we were able to glean notonly the authentic story, butalso
nancerequirementsdramaticallyreduced becauseofthesmoolh running enjoyedworking withRon Davies, whoseknowledgeandexperienceof 10 share the spirit of the de Havilland company, one that cannot be
deHavillandaffairsseemedtocomplimentmine. Hiswasinairlineoper
of the jet engines; considerably lengthened airframe lives. The Comet described inabsolutelermsbutcanconfidentlybetermed unique.
demonstratedanefficientsweptwing,areliablejetengine,multiple-wheel ationsandeconomics, minewasindevelopmentandproduction. This book frequently echoes the Comet's special attributes that
undercarriage, high-level pressurization, full power controls, and many We both hope to have learned a great deal from having written werethesubjectofMikeRamsden'skeynoteaddressatthe40thanniver
andcompiledthistributetotheworld's firstcommercial jetairliner.
other related engineering advances. The entire aviation world was the sarycelebration oftheHatfield branchofthe RoyalAereonautical Soci
gratefulbeneficiaryofD.H. enterprise. ety on 15 March 1989. Mike emphasized the inspired intuition and
Two years later, Aeroflol's Tupolev Tu-1O~began service in the PhilipJ, Birtles, Stevenage,March 1999 craftsmanshipthattransformed theoryintohardware.
SovielUnion,andtwoyearslaterstill,PanAmericanputtheBoeing707 Ron Davies was privileged towork for, and subsequentlyto inter
intoservice, justIhreeweeksaftertherejuvenatedCamel4. Inthejetair Artist view Richard Clarkson, aerodynamicist extraordinary, and his closest
liner race, de Havilland had been the pace-setter, faltering early, but associates,JohnWimpenny(stabilityandcontrol), David Newman (per
recoveringbravely,tobreakthetope,asitwere,inatrans-Atlanticphoto In this first effortata book for Paladwr Press highlighting a single air formance), and Ralph Hare,whoworkedwith Bob Harper. PhilipBirtles
finish. Douglas followed afullyearlaterwith theDC-8. plane, Iwas mostexcited when Ron Davies informed me ofthe subject waswithJohnCunninghamforseveralyears,andwasfortunatetoinherit
Thede Havilland D.H.106Comethasa placein aeronautical his matter. This represents something very special for me personally, as the the impressive collection of Comet material and photographs from the
torythatcanneverbeemulated.Withoutignoringthedevelopmentprob Cometwasnotonlytheveryfirst jetairlinerthatIeversawfly, butIwas late Roger Lewis. Professor Arnold Hall's compr.ehensive report on the
lems-theawfulpenaltyofbeing first-thisbooktriestodo justicetothe there atNewYork'sIdlewildAirporton thedaywhen B.O.A.C. inaugu Cometdisastersof 1954wasan invaluablereference.
memoryofatremendoustechnicalachievement.Aboveall,ittakesitshat rated theworld's firsttrans-Atlanticcommercial jetservice. John Wegg ensured that the technical data were correct, and
offto to Ihedesign team, whose beautiful aeroplanecould, dare Isug As a young lad growing up on Long Island during the 1950s, I Guy Halford-Macleod, in addition to some excellent copy-editing,
gest, bedescribedastheresultofcollectivegenius. spentcountlessenjoyablehoursatopeveryobservaliondeckavailableto filled invaluabledelailofthebiggestCometoperatorofthemaiLMike
the enthusiast at New York's International Airport, and became enam Machot, as always, contributed his dedicated artistry, and Jennifer
R.E.G.Davies, Harpenden, 3March 1999 oredwith theairplanesthatrepresented the zenith ofthepiston-engined Sterling maintained herhigh standardofgraphicdesign.
7
Abandoned Hopes
Farewell to the Flying Boats
Towards the close of the 19"30s the world's leading airlines were realizing that flying
boats had their limitations, even though they had pioneered trans-ocean routes. But Pan
American's Boeing 314 Clippers still ruled the Atlantic and Pacific skies, while
B.O.A.C.'s Short S.23 boats linked the eastern hemisphere parts of the British Empire.
The First Long-Haul Landplanes
In August 1938, however, a German four-engined landplane, the Focke-Wulf Fw 200
Condor. D-ACON, flew non-stopfrom Berlinto NewYork, adistanceofabout4,000miles,
in 24-1/2 hours, atan average speed of 160 mph. Two days later, itflew back again.
The "Big Four" U.S. domestic airlines, together with Pan American, ordered 61 OneofBritain'smostpromising-lookinglong-rangeairlinerprojectsof1939wastheFaireyFC-l. Its
Douglas DC-4s in January 1940. The aircraft had potential trans-oceanic range, as it elegantlinesseemedtoowesomethingtothedeHavillandAlbatross,butwith Fourenginesinsteadof
amplydemonstrated when wartime rroduction was diverted to military logistics. When fwo. Its design was notunlike thatoftheFamous LockheedConstellation, which was tomakeits dra
the war ended, the now substantia fleet was quickly converted back for commercial maticdebutin 1944.
use. Howard Hughes's T.W.A., meanwhile, had sponsored the Lockheed Constellation,
which went into full production. The United States, with Pan American in the forefront,
was 'well positioned to dominate the airline skies, both at home and overseas.
Britain Tries to Keep Pace
While Germany had taken the lead in Europe with the Condor, France also realized
that the flying boat era was waning, even though Latecoere was building large succes
sors for trans-Atlantic use. The Farman 2200 Centaure, ungainly though it looked, was
matching the flying boats' performance on the South Atlantic route.
But Britain had lagged behind in four-engined long-range airliner development;
and not until 1938 did the Air Ministry issue specifications for such a type. The pres
surized ShortS.32 was intended forservice in 1940, and three aircraftwere undercon
struction (G-AFMK, L, and M). Fairey proposed the FC-1, which was intended for
long-range work. The pre-war British Airways ordered 12 of the shorter-range version. TheShort 14/38wasorderedbytheAirMinistry, andheldoutconsiderablepromise, withthequan
General Aircraft proposed the G.A.L.40, while Fred Miles offered the X-1. Altogether, tityproductionofthe 5.23 flying boats andtheirvariants suggestinga fine pedigree. With four Bris
the spiritofcompetition in the British Aircraft industry was very much alive. tolHercules engines, itwas estimatedtocruiseat275mphat25,000 feetaltitude, fullypressurized.
De Havilland had taken a different approach. Its trans-Atlantic contender was the
D.H.91 Albatross, intended for mail carriage only. Thegraceful aerodynamicdesign (by
Arthur Hagg) was greatly admired, but itwas not ideal for long-haul work.
First Things First
In 1939, abruptly faced with the threat of Nazi bombing, blockade, and possible inva
The MilesX project was a truly
sion, Britain had to gird its loins and prepare for the worst. It had to concentrate on
ambitious eFfort by the ever
building fighter aircraftto defend its shores-and did so just in time to win the Battle of
resourceful Fred Miles, whose
Britain; and to hit back with an armada of heavy bombers. To undertake the vast manu
imagination fore"shadowed that at
facturing task, the ambitious commercial airliner projects had to be abandoned.
the Bristol Aeroplane company,
This action has often been interpreted as the result of an agreement between the
whichbuilttheill-fatedBrabazonin
United States and Great Britain. Not so. The U.S. needed transport aircraft to support
the late 1940s. The X.11 version
the long-range logistics requirements of its distant armed forces, oceans away. Britain's
had eight engines, and was
enemy was closer at hand-too close for comfort. It needed fighters and bombers, not
expectedtocruiseat350mph.
transport aircraft. Consequently, precious commercial airliner development years were
lost, as the aeronautical talent had to be diverted to more urgent requirements.
8
The Brabazon Committee
Visionary Foresight
While the British were conducting a bitter war with a A trans-Atlantic giant, bigger than any American type. The Committee foresightedly recognized the probable
remorselessfoe, remarkablytheyneverseemedtoconsider expansion of air traffic across the Atlantic when the war ended. But the aircraft that resulted, the Bristol
the possibilityoflosing it, especiallywhen, on 7 December Brabazon, was not a success.
1941, the United Stateswas plunged intotheconflicteven II A medium range aircraft, replacing the ubiquitous Douglas DC3. The highly successful Vickers Viscount was
more abruptly than the British, when the Japanese
developed, and the Airspeed Ambassador was also a contender in this market.
destroyed halfthe U.S. Navyintheattackon Pearl Harbor.
On 23 December 1942, Winston Churchill's Gov III A medium/long range aircraft, suited for British Empire routes. Itbecame known as the "MRE"-Medium-Range
ernmentsetup a special committee within theMinistryof Empire type, later augmented bythe "LRE"-Long-Range Empire. These emerged as the two variants ofthe Bris
Aircraft Production, under the chairmanship of the vet tol Britannia.
eran British airman (holderofthe first flying licence) Lord
IV A fast trans-Atlantic mail airplane thatcould, perhaps, be used to carry a small number ofV.I.P. passengers. Jet
Brabazon of Tara. The objective was to prepare the
propulsion was envisaged, butatthe time, theconventional opinion wasthatthe high jetfuel consumption would
country for the post-war expansion of civil air transport,
prevent widespread economical commercial airline operations. De Havilland developed the idea.
specifically by recommending the preliminary study of
different aircraft types that would be suited to the com V A feeder aircraft that would succeed the old de Havilland D.H.89A Rapide. The resultant Miles Marathon was
mercial requirements. not a success, butthe de Havilland Dove was.
TheCommitteeneverpublishedanywritten reportsfor
public consumption; but it held a series of meetings atfre
quentintervals, to soundexpertopinion from all sectionsof Verdict on Vision to pass before post-war British designs (rather than civil
the industry. The meetings were always attended by spe The original specifications proposed by the Brabazon conversions or developments from wartime bombers)
cialist representatives of the Ministry, the manufacturers, Committee were far removed from the aircraft that were were ready for airline service. But when they did, they
and the airlines. And they were extremely influential. finally built by the British aircraft manufacturing industry. were to change the course of world air transport.
But the foundations had been laid. Especially visionary One of these, completely unrecognizable from the
The Brabazon Types was the emphasison turbine power, eitherturbo-propeller original idea behind the Brabazon Type IV, was to
The Committee recommended the construction of differ or straight jet. Without such advanced thinking, Britain become the de Havilland Comet, the world's first com
ent categories of aircrafttypes-all landplanes. would have lagged far behind the United States in the mercial jet airliner.
immediate post-war period. Even so, several years were
5
Originallycalledthe "M.R.E."(Medium RangeEmpire) Iype, and
TheD.H. 104Dovewasanearlypost-warmetalgeneralpurpose The Vickers Viscount, another "Brabazon" derivative, went into also "Brabazon"-inspired, the BristolBritannia was calledto the
airliner, andwas derived from oneofthe "Brabazon"specifica sustained service with British European Airways (BEA.) on 16 colours after the Comet 1tragedies of 1954. It entered service
tions. This oneis seena long way from its birthplace. More than April 1953. Almost 450 were built, a quarter of which were with B.O.A.C. on 1February 1957. More than 120were built.
500werebuilt. (CourtesyPeterKeating, via RogerBentley.) exportedto theUnitedStates. (B.E.A. photograph) (CourtesyRogerBentley.)
9