The Comet was the world's first passenger jet, a much faster aircraft powered by jet engines. It made its debut in 1952, but problems quickly arose.

Maiden fight

The Comet's first fare-paying passenger-carrying flight was on 2 May 1952. It flew from London Heathrow to Johannesburg, South Africa and was the first commercial journey by a jet aircraft.

It stopped off en-route in Rome, Beirut, Khartoum, Entebbe, and Livingstone. The next day 20,000 people gathered at Palmietfontein Airport to welcome the aeroplane.

Sir Miles Thomas, Chairman of BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) said on the occasion:

How does a jet engine work?

Aeroplanes became faster when engineers developed the jet engine. Air which has been compressed by blades inside the engine is mixed with fuel. When this mixture burns, it creates enormous energy – the 'thrust' needed to travel at great speed.

Comet disasters

One year after its debut, a Comet broke apart after taking off from Calcutta airport. Two more crashes followed before engineers traced the problem: metal fatigue spreading from the window frames.

The Comet's designers were the de Havilland Aircraft Company. They re-designed the entire aircraft and the Comet 4 series appeared in 1958. They were now fitted with four mighty Rolls Royce turbojet engines; just one of the these generated a massive 10,500 lbs of power.

Comet at East Fortune

The Comet in the National collection has the registration G-BDIX. It was the last of five built in the early 1960s for the Royal Air Force. She served from their Transport Command airfield at Lyneham in Wiltshire, and could carry 94 passengers. In a crisis, the aircraft was sometimes used as a flying ambulance, with room for 50 seats, 12 stretchers, and six medical personnel.

The larger airline companies began phasing out Comets in the early 1970s. They were immediately snapped up by charter company Dan-Air, (known affectionately as Dan Dare). They acquired the last five RAF Comets in 1975 and flew a 119-passenger service with them until 1980.

The last civil Comet to fly was our Comet 4C, G-BDIX on her journey to East Fortune in September 1981.

Conservation work

We are currently delivering a conservation project to care for the de Havilland Comet at the National Museum of Flight. Two other large aircraft, the BAC One-Eleven and the Avro Vulcan, are also undergoing conservation work. This work focuses on the external stabilisation of the aircraft, such as fixing problems arising from water ingress and corrosion.

Work includes re-sealing the wings of the Comet and painting them to help keep out the moisture and enable easier surface cleaning. The corrosion on the undercarriages is being addressed, and new anti-bird nets are being fitted. Internal repairs are also underway. This includes addressing the degrading rubber seat straps, detached insulation, and fibre-glass seat panels which have cracked over time.

The de Havilland DH.106 Comet 4C (museum reference T.1981.90) is on display at the National Museum of Flight.