On this day 60 years ago: de Havilland Comet performs first flight

On 27 July 1949 de Havilland chief test pilot John Cunningham, previously a famed night-fighter pilot, celebrated his birthday by leading his flight-test crew aboard the all-silver prototype DH106, the world's first purpose-built jet airliner, and taking off on its maiden flight.

The de Havilland Ghost-powered DH106 was soon afterwards named Comet.

Here is a cutaway from our collection of the Comet:


To celebrate the Comet's 60th anniversary, we took a look through Flight's archives to find both the major stories and also the smaller details of the world's first jetline.

Note: the referenced date corresponds the material's publishing time


28 July 1949
Roll out of Comet: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%201324.html

Flight reporter saw Comet before rollout, commented on its "businesslike appearance", and other impressions:http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%201326.html

4 August 1949
"Surprise" first flight: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%201356.html

22 December 1949 
Operational characteristics of Comet:http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1949/1949%20-%202017.html
 
27 April 1950 
Water-methanol injection and liquid-fuel rocket motors have been developed to assist the take-off of the de Havilland Comet when fully loaded from tropical or high-altitude runways:
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1950/1950%20-%200799.html

7 September 1951
Flight calls the Comet the "premier example of the pure-jet airliner for arterial routes": http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1951/1951%20-%201739.html
 
9 May 1952 
Coverage of first commerical flight (BOAC service to South Africa's Johannesburg): http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1952/1952%20-%201275.html
  
1 May 1953 
BOAC issued rubber-soled shoes to maintenance workers to keep exterior skin smooth: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200555.html

BOAC pilot discusses pilot conversion training:http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200539.html
 
1 May 1953 
Statistics on Comet's first year of service with BOAC (number of miles flown, routes): http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200549.html
 
1954 
Comment on the Comet's "lustre" decreasing due to crashes, as well as information on crashes: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%201481.html
  
3 September 1954 

• Comet 1 built to accommodate 36-40 passengers and weighed 107,000-115,000 lb
• Comet 2 could accommodate 44 passengers at 120,000 lb 
• Comet 2 had 4x Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets, permitted stage lengths of 1750-2200 miles, payload capacity 13,000 lb

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%202442.html

12 January 1956 
Information on a Comet's 30,000 mile tour in Asia and Oceania: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200012.html

6 July 1956 
Flight writes that the Comet's economics are similar to piston-engined aircraft: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200883.html
 
1957 
Flight praises the "handsome lines and elegant finish of the Transport Command machines": http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%200176.html

1958
Writer argues in thorough analysis that the Comet is still a good aircraft: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1958/1958-1-%20-%200252.html
   
25 July 1958
First flight of Comet 4, and overivew of what is different about the 4: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1958/1958-1-%20-%200119.html
 
6 Mar 1959
Information on how Aerolineas Argentinas plans to deploy its new fleet, including the Comet: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1959/1959%20-%200642.html
 
11 Sep 1959
Assorted Comet comments including that galleys were standarised with the Viscount; description of "ingeniously" folding doors that blocked the rear galley from passengers' site during boarding; and the rear galley could be removed and more seats added if desired: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1959/1959%20-%202223.html
 
3 June 1965
Obituary of de Havilland, who reportedly only appeared on television once and was at a loss for words when "smart alec" journalist asked a question about the Comet crashes: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1965/1965%20-%201563.html
 
31 Jul 1969
Flight's coverage of Comet's 20th anniversary: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%202527.html

1974

• Comet 1 initially cost £275,000 (US$1.1 million); Comet 4 cost £1.2 million
• Comet 1 required 34,000 "manweeks" before first flight and 50,000 "manweeks" before entry into service

 http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1974/1974%20-%200411.html

15 November 1980
Coverage of Comet's final flight: http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1980/1980%20-%203431.html

16 September 2008
Comet holds a legacy for fatigue design: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/09/16/315932/europe-works-to-develop-built-in-structural-sensors.html

Happy 60th birthday, Comet!