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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0401.PDF
FLIGHT, 29 March 1957 463 The aircraft illustrated is one of the R.A.F.'s Comet 7'.2s; later aircraft have nose radar and a cheat-line centred on the passenger windows. The serial number is repeated in large numerals on the white-painted fin. To Malta for Lunch —in a Comet of Royal Air Force Transport Command IT has been said that R.A.F. TransportCommand used to be regarded as a"Cinderella" service, and it has had very few aircraft capable of matching con-temporary civil airliners, either in perform- ance or comfort. Today, the position isvery different. Fundamental reappraisals of our armed forces are leading to a newconcept of British strategy in which Trans- port Command will play a key role in therapid deployment of arms. Its proper equipment is now a matter of the highest priority. Of the three types of aircraft with which the Command is beingre-equipped—Comet, Britannia and Beverley—the Comet repre- sents the greatest change from what has gone before. Last weekwe were privileged to fly to Malta and back in one of these aircraft in order to form our conclusions on what it can do and how theCommand—and 216 Squadron in particular—-have settled down with it. To provide a preface to this account it is appropriate to saysomething of the unusual background which preceded the R.A.F.'s acquisition of the type. Originally the de Havilland Aircraft Com-pany planned the Comet 2 as a civil transport to succeed the Comet 1, with a slight increase in fuselage length, greater tankageand more powerful and efficient engines—first-generation Rolls- Royce Avons—to confer good performance at the increased grossweight of 120,000 lb. Production was well in hand, and several Comet 2s had flown, when commercial Comet operations werehalted just three years ago. Following the intensive investigation into the Comet 1 it wasdecided to incorporate into the Comet 2 a considerable amount of redesign, largely of a structural nature, before submitting it fora full C. of A. In particular, the fuselage was largely rebuilt, using heavier-gauge materials in certain sections and substantiallyreducing the points of peak stress by employing larger radii and substituting oval windows for the original rectangular pattern. The de Havilland company chose to devote all their commercialenergies to the bigger and faster Comet 4; but for financial reasons it was decided to complete 16 Comet 2 aircraft, using the highestpossible proportion of parts already manufactured. Ten of these were allocated to R.A.F. Transport Command; three more (withfewer fuselage modifications and a 2,000-hr life) are assigned to special R.A.F. operations; two will be fitted with Comet 4 engines(RA.29s) in the inboard positions for route-flying with B.O.A.C.; and the sixteenth airframe will be used for static tests. Transport Command already have eight Comets and the remain-ing two will both be delivered before the end of next month. The first pair to reach the Service—last June—were direct rebuilds ofexisting civil machines. They were equipped solely for passenger transport and were designated Comet T.2 by the R.A.F. One ofthem, XK 670, took the R.A.F. delegation to Moscow on the Comet C.2 floor plan: A, captain; B, co-pilot; C, engineer; D, navi- gator; E, signaller; F, sub-division into seven freight bays. Rails are shown for a twelfth row of seats, forward. occasion of the 1956 Soviet Aviation Day celebrations. Theremaining eight are designated Comet C.2 and are to be employed on all kinds of "work-horse" operations. They are equipped withnose radar and are fitted for the carriage of both passengers and heavy freight. A diagram below depicts a typical floor plan for a Comet C.2.Flight deck, seat rails, general furnishing and passenger amenities conform closely to the original B.O.A.C. standard; the corollaryis that the aircraft sets a new level of Transport Command luxury. The normal flight crew comprises captain, co-pilot, navigator,engineer and signaller, together with one or more air quarter- masters. Passenger seating takes the form of double seat unitsof th« reclining pattern used in the Beverley, installed in the standard rails at 39in pitch facing aft. Leg room is exceptional.Nine rows of seats fill the main cabin and a further three rows can be installed in the forward cabin ahead of a non-structuralbulkhead. When seats are removed from the forward cabin up to 11,200 lbof freight can be carried above the floor, at a maximum intensity of 120 lb/sq ft. The floor plan indicates the manner in whichthe forward cabin is divided—by lines painted on the interior wall trim—into seven bays, each with a capacity of 1,600 lb. Thereis also a 185 cu ft baggage hold under the floor aft of the wing. Normal maximum payload is 13,300 1b, and this can be carriedover stages of up to 2,300 statute miles with full "airline" allowances. Before offering our impressions of flying in the aircraft some-thing should be said of the squadron which operates it. All Trans- port Command Comets are on the strength of 216 Squadron(W/C. B. D. Sellick, D.S.O., D.F.C.), based at Lyneham, Wilts. As related in our issue of November 18,1955, this unit was formedforty years ago as "A" Sqn., and later 16 Sqn., of the R.N.A.S. Reconstituted as No. 216 strategic bomber squadron, R.A.F., itmade 162 sorties over Germany before the 1918 Armistice; throughout the ensuing thirty years it was a bomber or transportsquadron in the Middle East and south-east Asia, and finally flew its Valettas back from Fayid late in 1955 after 38 years' continuousservice overseas. As the sole R.A.F. Comet squadron No. 216 has borne no meanresponsibility, and crews have not been lightly selected. Most candidates for 216 had at least a "B" (above average) Command GENTLEMEN'S TOILET LADIES' TOILET LADIES' POWDER ROOM
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