De Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 (Foto www.baesystems.com).
Some jet aircraft have made history, but they have not become commercial successes. However, they have secured their place in aviation history. Currently, most of these aircraft can only be seen in museums, aviation fairs or air shows. However, proliferate on the internet through enthusiasts in order to collect information about the whereabouts of each produced plane and thus keep alive its memory. Others go beyond and mobilize to raise funds in order to restore them and make them ready for flight. In this series of subjects we will highlight some of these aircraft:
MARKED PIONEER
De Havilland DH-106 Comet 1 (Foto www.baesystems.com).
The British De Havilland DH-106 Comet was the first commercial jet in aviation history and the first to enter production line. First flew on July 27, 1949 and soon became a great sales success, because it easily outperformed any competitor powered by conventional engines (piston), both for the shortest flight time as well as the highest cruise levels (less turbulent), and lower internal noise levels in both the passenger cabin and cockpit.
The prototype was equipped with four De Havilland Ghost MK1 engines, of 5,000 lb each. By the original design, however, the Comet would be driven by Rolls Royce Avon reactors, more powerful but not ready for the launch of the aircraft. To compensate for the power loss, engineers decided to use lighter materials in the fuselage, however, they hardly knew that this replacement would bring consequences catastro
To reach this conclusion, the researchers collected the wreckage of one of the aircraft and reassembled it in Farnborough, England. End result: material fatigue, plus problems associated with the design of passenger windows, rectangular and very large, which created stress points at the ends. De Havilland corrected the design by replacing, among other things, rectangular windows with oval and smaller ones. The accidents drastically reduced sales of the Comet, which nevertheless remained in the air for at least 30 years, especially the latest version, the Comet IV. Later, some aircraft were converted to serve maritime surveillance missions by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and earned the designation of Hawker Siddeley Nimrod, which served until 28 June 2011, that is almost 62 years after the first flight of the prototype.
In total, 114 of these aircraft were produced in the UK with the first jet officially delivered on May 2, 1952 to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), which was one of the three companies launching the model, next to Dan-Air London and theAmerican Aerolíneas Argentinas, which even operated the jet at Congonhas Airport in São Paulo.
By Robert Zwerdling – AERO Magazine nº203.
Adapted by Rene (Rock & Aircraft).
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