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Aviation History
1974
1974 - 0411.PDF
LIBRARY GREAT AIRLINERS DE HAVILLAND COMET History First de Havilland pro posals February 1945; DH.106 de sign started September1945. BOAC order 8 (later 9) Comet 1 January 21, 1947; prototype Comet 1 first flown July 27, 1949, Comet 1, enters service (BOAC) May 2, 1952, but grounded after accidents. Prototype Comet 2X first flown February 16, 1952, BOAC order 11 (later 12) stretched Comet 2 May 1953, enters RAF service June 7, 1956. PAA orders 3 further-stretched Comet 3 October 20, 1952; prototype Comet 3 first flown July 19, 1954. BOAC orders 20 (later 19) Comet 4 (pro duction Comet 3) February 1955, enters service (BOAC) October 4, 1958. Development time (Comet 1 start to service) 79 months. Total launching cost (excluding educa tion, Comet 1) probably about $35 million (1973$). Designed by team under R. E. Bishop/C. T. Wilkins, Comet 1 required about 34,000 manweeks to first flight, say 50,000 manweeks to service. Unit One production direct manhours probably about 600,000 for Comet 1, lowest Comet 4 production man- hours say 250,000. Initial price (Comet 1) £275,000 ($1 -11 million); late production price (Comet 4) £1-2 milliion ($4-85 million). 21 Comet 1/1A, 16 Comet 2X/2, 64 Comet 3/4/4B/4C/C.4 and 41 Nim- rod built to end 1972, with 10 more on order. Few Comet 4s still in service. 142 BUILT (inc. 41 Nimrod) to end '72. Description Cantilever low-wing monoplane (20° sweep) with un- swept monoplane tail surfaces. Stressed-skin all-metal construc tion. Retractable nosewheel landing gear. Comet 4: wing span 114ft tin, length 111ft 6in, gross wing area 2,121 sq ft. Wing section NAN-414- 011/EMQ 111/40. Plain flaps. Four 10,500lb-thrust Rolls-Royce Avon 524 axial turbojets with thrust reversers. Typically, 44 tourist passengers at 38in pitch five- abreast and 23 first-class passen gers at 40in pitch four-abreast in 115in-wide pressurised cabin (8-75 Ib/sq in). Cockpit crew of 4; 3 in cabin. Max take-off weight 162,000 lb; max landing weight 120,0001b; max zero-fuel weight 99,0001b; typical operating weight empty 74,1001b. Performance Max payload 20,000- Ib for still-air range of 3,550 n.m., giving typical stage length of 2,600 n.m., or payload of 15,8001b for max still-air range of 3,750 n.m., giving typical max stage length of 2,800 n.m., at an average cruising speed of 417kt at 28,500ft, burning average of about 8,000lb/hr. Typical lowest total operating cost per seat-n.m. 6c (1973c). Balanced field length at max take-off weight 6,750ft (ISA/ SL). Approach speed 126kt at max landing weight, giving 6,630ft land ing field length (ISA/s.l.). Series of 12 Comet 3 G-ANLO And by and by a cloud took all away No. 17 de Havilland Mosquito T3S RR299 and TV959 of the (then) RAF Home Command Examining Unit flying over Bedfordshire on October 6, 1958. Flown by Fit Lt Curtis and Fit Lt Connell from their White Waltham base, these were the last T3S in RAF service in Britain. "Flight" Library ref. 38027:119535 Series of 20
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