It’s been 63 years since the world’s first commercial jetliner took to the skies and after that there has been no stopping the jet age.
The De Havilland DH106 Comet was introduced on May 2, 1952 to the British Overseas Airways Corporation. By the time the Comet retired in the year 1997, it had revolutionised modern aviation.
Within a year of its production, the Comet met with some major accidents, that never helped this jetliner to gain any popularity. But, what it did do was push the entire civil aviation industry to make airplanes more safe.
India witnessed a Comet crash too on May 2, 1953, ironically on the jetliner’s first anniversary, when a BOAC Comet 1, crashed six minutes after taking off from Calcutta’s Dum Dum Airport. The crash killed all 43 passengers on board.
The Comet was the first commercial aircraft to use jet engines which were more fuel efficient and faster. The Comet used four De Havilland turbo jet engines which were inside the wing frame of the aircraft.
The Comet suffered from major structural issues. Mainly because it was the first airplane with a pressurised cabin. Also, the Comet could fly at higher altitudes, but with that came the problem of metal fatigue.
Watch: The De-Havilland ‘Comet’ DH106
All these valuable insights from tragic accidents in the Comet’s early career, helped modern aircraft to get safer. Even the inbuilt jet engines were replaced by modern aviation engineers, and low-mounted engines became the norm.
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, were guests on a special flight on 30 June 1953 hosted by Sir Geoffrey and Lady de Havilland, that made them first members of the British Royal Family to fly by jet.
The Comet had a great run that unfortunately did not help the fortunes of the De Havilland aviation but it did gift flight safety to modern aviation.