First passenger jet: luxurious death trap is revived

First passenger jet: luxurious death trap is revived

Today, traveling with nozzle aircraft has become a matter of course for many. We enjoy the accelerated start on the runway, the little comfortable through threatening clouds in bright blue sky and the gentle beeping, which asks us to put on the seat belts. And we are used to getting to our goal.

The beginnings of the jet age

But the regular jet river is only 73 years old. On May 2, 1952, at around 3 p.m., the British airplane de Havilland DH106 1A COMET G-Alyp, which promoted the first paying passengers in jet traffic, started from London Airport, then known as Heathrow. In the following 23 hours and five stops it covered 7,000 miles to Johannesburg.

This flight represented a significant progress in comfort and speed, which was superior to even the best propeller aircraft of the time, such as the Lockheed Constellation. The constant vibrations and the noise of the piston engines belonged to the past. The world suddenly entered the jet age irrevocably.

an unexpected setback

The British airline de Havilland was the first manufacturer of jet aircraft to conquer the sky and left American competitors like Boeing. However, this lead was short -lived; The original Comet DH106 only had a short -term rule before a series of disasters led to the entire fleet pulled out of traffic and either had been tested or expired for destruction.

generation later is the best way to understand the experience on board these first comets through old black and white film recordings or colored advertising photos of smiling families sitting in the DH106 1AS. For a long time, these memories only offered a weak insight into the pioneering years. Until recently, this was all that remained. Now a group of enthusiasts meticulously put together one of these groundbreaking jet aircraft - with exciting results.

a treasure of aviation history

The de Havilland Aircraft Museum, a little -known repository for aviation artifacts, is located in the middle of fields and grassland in northwestern Londons, near the constantly overloaded M25 motorway. A note indicates a narrow path that seems to lead to a courtyard or a dead end. There you will meet an impressive manor house - Salisbury Hall, which was built in the 16th century and once lived by the mother of Winston Churchill.

The museum has its own story in aviation. During the Second World War, a local aircraft manufacturer, founded by the British aviation pioneer Geoffrey de Havilland, began with the development and test of the DH98 Mosquito, an extraordinary wooden frame battle aircraft that became known for its speed. After the war, a local entrepreneur opened the first Aviation Museum in Great Britain at the end of the 1950s.

The return of the Comet

The restoration was not without challenges. When the museum received the plane in 1985, it was more or less a raw metal tube. After tedious restoration work, the Comet almost shows the appearance of almost three quarters of a century, apart from the wings.

The pioneering years of aviation

The Comet was a sign of the luxurious possibilities of traveling. In the rear of the aircraft, a staircase leads up to the rear part. The interior was reproduced by Walsh's team with great attention to detail, from the washrooms to the comfortable two -seats in the main area, which are padded with blue fabric.

The headrests even had enough space for the legs, and the passengers were able to park their drinks in chrome -plated cup holders. During the meal times, heavy wooden tablets with meals were served on real plates and cutlery. The nostalgically designed interior conveys a feeling of luxury that is reminiscent of the glamorous families who once traveled in this plane.

The price of progress

As Walsh explains, the journey with the COMET was expensive - at that time you had to be wealthy to get a place. A ticket on the first flight to Johannesburg cost £ 175 - this corresponds to today's standards about $ 6,000. In the COMET flight deck, even a cockpit was reproduced with analog instruments and switches, which illustrates the challenges that had to be overcome when the aircraft was restored.

However, the COMET did not lead to the benevolence of the audience and the aviation authorities, which it deserved, but was associated with fatal accidents soon after its first year of operation. Several tragic incidents led to the withdrawal of the aircraft from the entire line. After an in -depth test, it was found that the construction of the wing could not withstand the loads and led to tragic accidents.

The legacy of the Comet

Overall, the Comet left a mixed heir, some pioneering innovations paired with catastrophic designs. Even if the original Comet 1A never flew commercially, later versions led to successful models and influenced the development of safe and efficient aircraft. Despite its problems, the Comet is a pioneer for modern passenger jet traffic and helped to make aviation more secure.

"The Comet is known for the problems it had, which is a little unfair because it was really an innovation of her time," concludes Walsh.