The Aviation Historian — January 2018

20 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN Issue No 22

Havilland team. The aircraft’s fuel consumption

went to plan, as did the sector times. Airport

operations had run smoothly and Flight

quoted John Cunningham after touchdown at

Heathrow: “Apart from our delay in Montreal

we had no delay whatsoever throughout the trip,

and the general reliability and easy maintenance

of the aircraft and engines were outstanding.”

A cumulative total of more than 600 passengers

had been given “round trips” in the Comet over

the stops in Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and

Canada, dispelling many of the macabre myths

that had grown up around both the Comet and

jet travel in general. The aircraft had flown some

29,934 miles (48,175km) in a total flying time of 29,934 miles (48,175km) in a total flying time of

66hr 43min at an average speed of 433 m.p.h.

(697km/h) in a hard-flown 26 days.

The tour had fulfilled its primary purpose

of proving the performance statistics for the

Comet 4. However, de Havilland was painfully

aware that Boeing’s new jetliner would carry

substantially more passengers, so it was

explained to potential customers that the Comet

would be “complimentary to, rather than

competitive with, the American conception of a

jet airliner”; probably a “hard sell” at the best of

times — and a hard sell it indeed proved to be.

Not a single one of the airlines that de

Havilland targeted on the record-setting

tour placed an order for Comet 4s, although

Qantas did lease seven to fly the Sydney—

Singapore route in the early 1960s. The Comet 4

nevertheless went on to be a success, but never

to the levels envisaged in 1955, with just 75

aircraft being completed.

Sir Geoffrey de Havilland remained President

of the company until 1960, when it was fully

merged into Hawker Siddeley Aviation and

his involvement ceased. Sir Miles Thomas

resigned from BOAC in 1956 after a public row resigned from BOAC in 1956 after a public row

with Minister of Transport & Civil Aviation

Harold Watkinson. His subsequent comments

referred to “irksome political interference” and

he memorably stated: “You can either have an

airline run as a competitive airline... or you can

have it run as a shop window for British aircraft.

But if you choose the second alternative... you

must not expect to make a profit”; comments

which came a matter of weeks before BOAC

placed an order — for Boeing 707s!

LEFT John Cunningham

greets BOAC Chairman

Sir Miles Thomas at

Heathrow on the Comet’s

arrival back in the UK on

December 28, 1955 (with

Geoffrey de Havilland

behind Peter Buggé). In

1957 BOAC placed an order

for 19 Comet 4s, fitted with

uprated Avon 524 engines

and greater fuel capacity.

BELOW The Comet 3 at

Heathrow after its journey

of almost 30,000 miles

(48,280km). The aircraft

went on to become a

testbed for the Comet 4B,

designated 3B, before

joining the Blind Landing

Experimental Unit at RAE

Bedford in 1961. It was

grounded in 1972 and finally

dismantled in August 1973.

TAH

BAE SYSTEMS DH9236M

BAE SYSTEMS DH9236A