Fergie's Tech Blog

27 July 1949: Initial Flight of The de Havilland Comet, The First Jet-Powered Airliner

The de Havilland Comet of Britain was the world's first commercial jet airliner. It is infamous for being the first to experience the metal fatigue of jet aircraft due to high flight altitudes.

Design work began in 1946 under Ronald Bishop and the intention was to have a commercial aircraft by 1952. The DH 106 Comet first flew on July 27, 1949. At the controls was de Havilland test pilot, John Cunningham, the same man who set a new altitude record two years later in a de Havilland DH 100 Vampire. The design was similar to other airliners except that four of the new, albeit underpowered, de Havilland Ghost 50 Mk1 turbojets were mounted within the wings, in pairs close to the fuselage. This was thought to prove the aircraft more aerodynamic when flying at high speeds.

The airliner underwent almost three years of tests and fixes and the first commercial flights did not begin until January 22, 1952 with British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). It became an instant hit with the elite market to whom it was aimed. The first passenger flight was in May from London Heathrow Airport to Johannesburg. The airliner proved to be around twice as fast as contemporary craft and with almost 30,000 passengers carried in the first year over fifty Comets were ordered.

posted by Fergie @ 7/27/2006 12:01:00 AM