De Havilland DH-106 Comet C4

Wallpaper Description:

de Havilland started work on the pioneering Comet design following the Brabazon Committee's proposals for commercial aviation in 1943.

A design for an aircraft to fly the Atlantic at 500 mph was proposed and was accepted by BOAC..

Production started on an initial order of 8 in 1947.

The new aircraft was a huge advancement in aerodynamics, materials and performance.

It had a highly pressurized cabin and with it's 4 de Havilland Ghost turbo jets, it could fly much higher and faster than previous airliners.

Pushing the boundaries carries a risk.

Unfortunately the flight tests had little chance of finding the metal fatigue that would cause the fuselage to fail after prolonged use.

The prototype first flew on 27th July 1949 and BOAC took delivery in 1951 putting the new aircraft into evaluation on a number of routes.


Weight was a concern for the early Comet.

The DH Ghost engines were not really powerful enough to carry the weights required by the airlines.

The Ghost was accepted by BOAC as an interim measure while the more suitable Rolls Royce Avon was developed.

Weight was saved by the extensive use of metal bonding, rather than traditional rivets and also by using very thin gauge aluminium on the fuselage.

This contributed greatly to the metal fatigue which would later cause the break up of the aircraft.

It has been revealed recently that some did suspect that the Comet was under strength and was rushed though its testing program.

However, no one really knew the facts for certain and the doubts were clearly not great enough to halt the launch of the aircraft.