BOAC Comet 1 fleet.
I wonder if anyone can tell me what happened to the Comet 1's that were positioned abroad after they were grounded in April 1954.
I am just going through the log books of an old friend of mine, Reg Langtry, sadly now dead, who was a first officer on the Comet 1.
His log indicates he left Heathrow on March 30th 1954 in GALYS to Rome, Cairo, Khartoum,Entebbe and Joburg. He then departed Joburg on April 8th for Entebbe. This was the date of the second major comet disaster when GALYY crashed en-route from Rome to Cairo. I assume the Comet fleet was grounded on this day.
There are no more log entries until the 20th July when he is now flying the Hermes.
I remember him telling me that he and the crew of YS flew back to London as passengers and I wonder if the Comet YS was eventually shipped back the UK.
Reg was also the first officer on the first Royal Flight by the Comet.
He and Captain Rodley took the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret to Rhodesia, as it was then called, on July 1st 1953 on GALYW.
I have a copy of a notice published by BOAC amending the crash landing and dinghy drills for this flight. One of the points it makes is that because the front row of passenger seats is unstressed for ditching two male passengers will be required to lie on each bunk, feet forward with their chest straps tightened across their bodies and their bodies and feet placed firmly on the forward bulkhead, knee slightly bent. The stewardess should sit on the floor of the forward toilet with her back to the forward bulkhead.
Reg went on to get his command on the Comet 4 and finished his illustrious flying career on the 707.