The Comets also flew as targets for exercising ground radars and Air Defence Command CF-100s. On longer flights, travel time was reduced by over 50 percent. On short flights, they cut the normal air travel time by one third. The Comets were soon put to work on VIP flights. The Comet then went on a cross-Canada tour, demonstrating its speed and sleek lines. It had made the trans-Atlantic crossing in 10 hours 20 minutes, with stops in Keflavik, Iceland, and Goose Bay. By Friday,, the first crew was ready to return to Canada.Ī large crowd turned out at RCAF Station Uplands for the arrival of Comet 5301. The two RCAF crews subsequently flew over 100 training hours, including flights to Johannesburg and Singapore. On 14 March 1953, the RCAF received its first Comet. In October 1952, more than 60 air and ground crew from 412 Squadron were sent to England to receive familiarization training on the Comet. In early 1951, it was decided that the Comets could fulfill both these roles, with an order being placed with de Havilland in England that November. The Canadair North Stars, though fantastic aircraft, were no longer in production. At the same time, the Korean airlift (Operation HAWK) had placed a strain on Air Transport Command. There were no large aircraft in RCAF service that could fly at an altitude of 40,000 feet at 450 mph. A high speed aircraft was required to test Canada's fighter forces and radar chain. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the RCAF was looking for a high speed, high altitude aircraft and for an aircraft to augment air transport forces. With the arrival of this aircraft, the RCAF became the first air force in the world to operate jet transports and the first operator to make scheduled trans-Atlantic crossings. On, the first of two 40 passenger de Havilland Comets arrived in Ottawa. London, England, at Comet 2002 Anniversary May 02) (speaker's notes - Col Michel Legault, Air Force Advisor, Canadian Defence Liaison Staff, Marville France The de Havilland Comet in RCAF Service H: The external fuel tank mounted on the lower leading edge of the wing was the main identification feature.Marville France - de Havilland Comet - The de Havilland Comet in RCAF Service
More efficient aerodynamically than 'podded' engines. G: The Comet's engines were buried in the wing roots. Four-abreast one- or two-class seating was the norm.Į: The Comet originated long before swept-wing data became general knowledge, and the tail was of conventional straight design.į: The flight deck accommodated two pilots, a flight engineer and a navigator. Most of it was taken up by a huge sealed fuel tank.ĭ: The fuselage was pressurized to give a 6,500 ft. Originally designed to house 101 passengers, as a charter airliner in its later life it had a capacity of 119.Ĭ: The wing was very efficient and gave the comet a lower stall speed than many contemporary propeller-driven aircraft.
#De havilland comet series
Other aircraft manufacturers manufactured new designs based on what they had learned from DeHavilland's groundbreaking DH.106 Comet.Ī: The comet was one of the first pressurized commercial aircraft, and once the catastrophic metal fatigue problem was solved it offered passengers a very comfortable flight.ī: The comet 4 series was nearly 26 ft. The Comet was extensively redesigned to eliminate this design flaw.
Several contributory factors, such as window installation methodology, were also identified as exacerbating the problem.
The first accident was mistakenly identified as having been caused by a fire onboard the aircraft. The DeHavilland Comet had to be withdrawn and tested to find the cause. However, a few years after being introduced into commercial service, DH.106 Comet airframes began suffering from major metal fatigue, causing two accidents where the aircraft was torn apart in mid-flight.
#De havilland comet windows
The DeHavilland Comet had an extremely aerodynamically clean design with its four DeHavilland Ghost turbojet engines placed into the wings, a light-noise pressurized cabin, and huge windows for its time, the Comet was an extremely comfortable aircraft for passengers and showed promise of being a major success shortly after launching. Developed and manufactured by DeHavilland, the Comet first flew in 1949 and was a revolutionary in aeronautical design. The DeHavilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to be produced.
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