FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1137.PDF
ii /v\ r\ * A *.'/•• -A •% "Flight" photograph! (Left) Un tne descent into Oampmo Airport, Rome, the dive brakes were used. Note the highly polished wing-surface reflecting the fence and brake. (Right) The absence of engine nacelles and airscrews enables passengers to obtain a view forward over the wing leading-edge. Rome's River Tiber, Coliseum, Victor Emmanuel Memorial and stadium are all visible. back and we levelled off; by contrast with the climb it felt as if the pilot was about to demonstrate a level stall. The Thames passed below, then a by-pass, Epsom, chalk hills and Dorking, and once more the Ghosts gulped in air and we climbed steeply up through wispy cloud-layers, soon to level out over the sea suddenly visible over 30,000ft below. I swallowed to clear my ears, having crunched my barley sugar while taxying out. At the coastline, still climbing, we had been airborne for about ten minutes. On the ground it had been dull and cold, but now suddenly the heat of the sun could be felt through the sleeves of one's jacket and the brightness was almost painful even to screwed-up eyes. Sun glasses would have been welcome. The cabin atmosphere was comfortable, and it did not enter my mind that the pressure difference from the outside atmosphere must have been considerable. Stewards need to work fast in the Comet, for time is short, and meals must be served before the descent begins. Would we like an aperitif? As we drank, lunch trays arrived on our folding tables, red or white wine was poured out, and the meal began. Paris already lay behind us, our height was about 35,000ft—increasing as the fuel load was burned. All round was brilliant blue sky, far below an even blanket of cloud. There was no sensation of speed or even of movement. I decided to investigate noise and vibration, starting in the smaller eight-seat front cabin. Here one can almost see into the turbojet intakes—yet, except for a swish of air, clearly but not loudly audible, there is little sound. One can talk across the compartment in a normal voice. Even so, my recollections of the earlier flight had led me to expect less noise. A visit to the cockpit provided the explanation : the crew enjoy almost complete silence —and on the previous flights I had spent most of my time up in the nose. Moving back to the first seat-rows of the main cabin, the predominant sound is a high penetrating whine, not quite synchronized, from the Ghosts. One quickly becomes accustomed to it. Midway, the whine is almost lost and the less insistent jet roar begins; it is here that the cabin noise-level is at its lowest. Further aft, the roar increases, but conversation is still easy. Through the door to the lobby, noise increases more, and riglvt aft; in the toilet compartments—which get the full effect of the efige of the four jets—there is indeed a mighty rushing wind (to quote another Comet passenger) and a pulse is felt in the air. My search for vibration in the cabin failed to reveal anything more than a tickle under the sole of the foot when standing firrnty over the front spar. On take-off one inner window-pane had set up a sympathetic buzz, but this stopped when power was reduced. Next I considered the passengers' view, and, as it proved, at a timely point in the journey; far below, piercing the cloud-blanket, were snow-covered Alpine peaks. Although the Comet has a low wing, the view from all windows is quite good, due to the absence of projecting engine nacelles and "whirling lumps" of airscrew. The wing is brightly polished and almost clear of external fittings. Passengers in the front part of the aircraft can see down or forward over the leading-edge—as our photographs indicate; those behind are clear of the wing and can see downwards also. As we reached the Mediterranean I watched, between patches of cumulus, the coastline of Italy and the islands dotted about below. At this height, many of the passengers would not believe that the "area of rocks" to be seen below on the starboard side shortly after passing Pisa, which was also "below" but to port, was Corsica (the two are 60 miles apart). Elba was invisible somewhere below the nose. By this time we had reached top height of nearly 40,000ft before the descent into Rome; we had been airborne about 1 hr 35 min and the speed was 470 m.p.h. (or, for the experts, about 407 kt, Mach 0.7, with an outside air temperature of minus 30 degrees C). The captain explained to me the simple weight-of-fuel-consumed curve plotted by the crew as a check, and the three-engine line marked on it. He had previously shown me the iced-up and frost-covered periscopic-sextant mounting-ring in the cockpit roof, soon to be replaced with an electrically-heated one. This instru ment is especially valuable over Africa where other aids are scarce. I learned from the crews that results with D.M.E. have so far been unsatisfactory, because of lack of range and difficulty with station identification. Aerials are partly to blame, and thus good old Rebecca is temporarily in use again with external aerials. For the radio compass I heard nothing but praise. One of the things that is so nice about air travel, and particularly Comet travel, is that one can write in comfort; which is certainly more than can be said for the railway. The let-down into Ciampino Airport, Rome, began. The passengers would scarcely have known it but for a change in engine note, and even when the dive brakes were extended the angle of descent was not such as would provoke comment. There was a bump or two through cloud-layers and slightly more g than is customary on the turns; otherwise we arrived in the circuit most uneventfully after some 2 hr 15 min. We all stepped out, exhilarated and unfatigued, into the warm Roman sunshine. The smooth, fast ride and absence of exhaust and airscrew noise had eliminated that battered feeling often experienced after a 1,000-mile (four-hour) journey in the older types of airliner. In one hour's time the Comet was due to take off again for Beirut and onward to Johannesburg. The total flying times for the service will be 18 hr 40 min outwards and 18 hr 55 min return. The Comet is a stimulant; it throws out a grand challenge to each man and machine engaged in the intricate business of inter national air travel—to try to match its new and remarkable standards. M.A. S. No film-star smiles are to be seen in this interior, for it is an authentic • snapshot of passengers getting down to their lunch at 35,000ft while the stewardess pours out wine. Note the brilliant light from the windows. "Flight" photograph
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
