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View Full Version : May 2, 1952: First Commercial Jet Flies From London to Johannesburg



RitcheyRch
05-02-2007, 07:55 AM
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/05/dayintech_0502
1952: A de Havilland Comet, flying for British Overseas Airways Corporation, becomes the first jet aircraft to enter commercial service, carrying passengers from London to Johannesburg, South Africa.
The early Comet was a four-engine aircraft, roughly the size of a small Boeing 737. It carried between 36 and 44 passengers, depending on its cabin configuration. Regardless of configuration, most early commercial jets were roomy and passenger comfort was a much higher priority than it is today.
The Comet, built by de Havilland, a British firm, was the backbone of the British commercial fleet. Other countries also turned to domestic aircraft manufacturers to populate their fleets: Boeing and Douglas (United States), Tupolev (Soviet Union), Caravelle (France).
Despite the line's overall success and longevity, the first Comets suffered from structural problems and the plane was involved in a number of accidents during the early and mid-'50s.
The plane that made that first London-Johannesburg flight, designated G-ALYP by BOAC (a forerunner of British Airways), was also among the first passenger jets to be lost. G-ALYP crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off the Italian island of Elba on Jan. 10, 1954, killing everyone on board.

Sleek-Jet
05-02-2007, 08:12 AM
Regardless of configuration, most early commercial jets were roomy and passenger comfort was a much higher priority than it is today.
Let's just change that to read "Prior to de-regulation"... :D
Metal fatigue did the Comets in, though it should be noted that Sud aviation borrowed heavily from the Comet to build the Caravelle.

Wheeler
05-02-2007, 08:28 AM
Let's just change that to read "Prior to de-regulation"... :D
Metal fatigue did the Comets in, though it should be noted that Sud aviation borrowed heavily from the Comet to build the Caravelle.
Was it the design of the windows, that caused the fatigue and failures?

Sleek-Jet
05-02-2007, 08:39 AM
Was it the design of the windows, that caused the fatigue and failures?
It was the radius of the windows I believe. They were to large and created a week spot that alowed the metal to flex when the airplane was pressurized. Later versions of the Comet had smaller windows. The entire fleet was grounded several years while deHavilland figured this out. In the mean time Boeing brought the 707 to the market and Douglas had the DC-8. By the time deHavilland had the problem fixed, they had lost to much of the market to the American airframe companies.