The World's first production Commercial Jetliner

Developed and manufactured by De Havilland at its Hatfield Aerodrome, Hertfordshire, the Comet 1 prototype first flew on 27 July 1949.

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Developed and manufactured by De Havilland at its Hatfield Aerodrome, Hertfordshire, the Comet 1 prototype first flew on 27 July 1949.

It featured an aerodynamically clean design with four De Havilland Ghost turbojet engines buried in the wings, a pressurised fuselage, and large square windows. For the era, it offered a relatively quiet, and comfortable for passengers.

The Comet was withdrawn from service and extensively tested to discover the cause; the first incident had been incorrectly blamed on adverse weather. Design flaws, including dangerous stresses at the corners of the square windows and installation methodology, were ultimately identified.

As a result, the Comet was extensively redesigned with oval windows, structural reinforcement and other changes. Rival manufacturers meanwhile heeded the lessons learned from the Comet while developing their own aircraft.

Although sales never fully recovered, the improved Comet 2 and the prototype Comet 3 culminated in the redesigned Comet 4 series which debuted in 1958 and had a productive career of over 30 years.

The Comet was adapted for a variety of military roles such as VIP, medical and passenger transport, as well as surveillance. The most extensive modification resulted in a specialised maritime patrol aircraft variant, the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod. Nimrod remained in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) until June 2011, over 60 years after the Comet's first flight.

Comet Crash Investigation

Photo: Ministry of Information/Altair78 • Believed to be in the Public Domain