'Black' Comet XM823

[Davef68]

Hello!
Signed up to Pprune to post this, as i was advised that here in lurks a great body of knowledge!!

I'm working on a scale model of XM823 (Now at Cosford) and want to finish it in the 'black' scheme it carried for a short time in the 60s whilst used by DH at Hatfield.

So far I've only found one pic:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2007/3534053890_bb51573391.jpg?v=0

Does anyone know of any more pics,or have any more info on this aircraft at that time?

Cheers and thanks in advance

D

Edit: Photobucket appears to not to be playing at the moment!

[Davef68]

Flikr pic added

[virgo]

A bit off-thread but...............in the mid 70s there used to be a black (or brown or dark blue??) DH Comet 4 permanently parked by one of the terminals at Chicago O'Hare airport. Anyone know who it belonged to and what happened to it ?

[XV277]

That was XA-NAS (later N999WA) beleived to be scrapped (although some reports say it was dis-asembled and stored)

Photos: De Havilland DH-106 Comet 4C Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/Dick-Drost/De-Havilland-DH-106/0275953/M/)

What's The Story Behind Dick Drost & His Comet IV? — Civil Aviation Forum | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/929114/)

[Brian Abraham]

From http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/collections/aircraft/aircraft_histories/84-A-1186%20%20DH%20Comet%201XB%20XM823.pdf

Dave, the history of the aircraft is as follows. It would seem that maybe at the time it carried your black colour scheme it had the registration G-APAS. The RAF Museum has an extensive photographic library, perhaps an enquiry to them may elicit the details you desire.

A/C SERIAL NO.G -APAS
SECTION 2B
INDIVIDUAL HISTORY
DE HAVILLAND COMET 1XB XM823/ G -APAS/8351M
MUSEUM ACCESSION NUMBER 84/A/1186
Built at Hatfield, Herts. The last of 21 Comet 1 aircraft to be completed. Constructors number 06022.
16 Mar 53 First flight following completion at Hatfield.
22 Jul 53 Delivered to Air France as F - BGNZ as the third of three Ghost 50 Mk 2 powered Comet 1As ordered by that operator 21 Nov 51. Total flying hours 13.35.
28 Jul 53 Certificate of airworthiness issued
8 Sep 53 Entered service with Air France. Operated on the Paris (Orly) - Rome - Beirut service from 26 August 1953, and on routes to Cairo, Algiers and Casablanca from the following month.
12 Jan 54 Withdrawn from Air France service when the BOAC Comet fleet was grounded for inspection following the loss of BOAC Comet G-ALYP over the Mediterranean two days earlier. At the time of withdrawal the aircraft had flown 371 hours and made 211 landings.
7 Feb 54 Test flight including two landings.
9 Feb 54 Returned to the manufacturers at Hatfield for modifications required by the Abel Committee aimed at engine failure and other possible causes of the unexplained BOAC Comet losses. Hours flown on arrival at Hatfield from Le Bourget - 372 hours 22 minutes (213 landings). Delivered with the British class B markings G - 5 - 23. See ‘ A View From the Ground’ Aeroplane, October 2002 p.63; ‘NZ being the first Comet to receive attention at Hatfield as part of a major modification programme, including installing a drooped wing leading edge and strengthening undercarriage doors.
8 Apr 54 Test flown (2 1/2 hours) at Hatfield following modifications with the return to Air France anticipated the following day, but the loss of BOAC Comet G -ALYY which crashed off Naples on this date causing the immediate grounding of all Comets and the resulting withdrawal of the Comets Certificate of Airworthiness 4 days later prevented this.
13 May 54 The delivery to Air France did not proceed and following purchase by the Ministry of Supply in April along with the two other Air France machines and two from the RCAF the aircraft went instead to RAF Kemble for sealed storage, with regular checks up to 21 May 1955.
9 Jun 55 Released from storage and flown from Kemble to Hatfield for further storage
22 May 56 Test flown from Hatfield as G - 5- 23. Several further test flights made up to 24 Sep 56.
26 Sep 56 To De Havillands at Broughton, Chester for a conversion programme, becoming a Comet 1XB. Fitted with De Havilland Ghost 50 Mk 4 engines with 5,500 lb static thrust each, strengthened fuselage, rounded windows and other modifications. The last such Comet conversion to take place.
23 May 57 Registered to Ministry of Supply as G - APAS
29 Nov 57 First flight after rebuild, from Chester. Test flights continuing until 7 Jan 58.
10 Jan 58 Issued with Certificate of Airworthiness.
29Jan 58 Delivered to Ministry of Supply (later the Ministry of Technology) air fleet for trials work and based at Hatfield.
30 Jan 58 To the De Havilland Propeller Co. for special flying duties in connection with the research into infra - red weapon programmes, initially for the Red Top and Firestreak air-to-air missiles. The preparation work took almost two years, and marked the commencement of a research programme which continued for the next ten years and included several tasks in the USA, based at Edwards Air Force Base, including trials for the USAF. Colour schemes worn included overall black with dayglo panels and silver and white similar to Transport Command aircraft in which the aircraft began and ended its trials career.
On one occasion test pilot George Aird suffered a fire warning incident when a leak of hot gasses triggered the fire warning mechanism. A double hydraulic failure led to a 30mph run off the end of the runway with all four engines shut down. There was no pressure for the brakes or nosewheel steering and the flaps were halfway down. There was just enough pressure in the flying control circuits to enable Aird to rudder away from an approaching blockhouse at the end of the runway before stopping on the grass. The problem was due to a defective hydraulic hose and faulty non - return valve.
10 Feb 58 Issued with serial XM823 under contract 6/Acft/15321 CB. Photo as XM823 - de Havilland Comet (Ashworth, 014723) p.3
15 May 58 To English Electric at Warton for use in conjunction with English Electric P1 trials.
22 Oct 58 Civilian registration cancelled.
10 Aug 61 To De Havilland Aircraft Co at the Handley Page airfield at Radlett, Herts. The de Havilland Propeller Company became part of the Hawker Siddeley group in April 1961.
21 Aug 61 Returned to De Havillands at Hatfield, Herts
27 Nov 61 Damaged during refuelling operation and repaired.
2 Dec 61 Departed for America via Prestwick, Keflavik (Iceland), Goose Bay (Labrador). Toronto, Tinker and on to Edwards Air Force Base, not returning to Hatfield until 6 May 1962.During this visit the aircraft, fitted out as a flying laboratory to measure infra - red radiation participated in tests with a Convair B-58 Hustler at Edwards AFB as part of 'Operation Rose Petal' before moving to Patrick AFB for further tests.
From April 1964 grounded sister ship XM829, C/N 6021, ex Air France F-BGNY at Stansted Fire Training School provided spare parts including engines.
May 1964 Further infra-red trials
The marks G -APAS and G - 5 - 23 were carried again later but not officially restored and the aircraft reverted to XM823 with Hawker Siddeley Dynamics Ltd.
21 Apr 65 Further Hatfield based trials - air to ground missile development.
1 May 67 Final trial flight - three hours at 35,000 feet over East Anglia.
6 May 67 Aircraft released from Trials work. Stored at Hatfield pending disposal.
It was originally expected that the aircraft would go to the Historic Aircraft Museum at Southend, Essex but this move did not occur.
30 Nov 67 Aircraft struck off Min Tech charge.
8 Apr 68 Following a 50 minute test flight earlier in the day, made a 45 minute flight from Hawker Siddeley Aircraft Ltd at Hatfield to No.27 Maintenance Unit RAF Shawbury, Salop for outdoor storage - photo dated 13 Sep 1970 - British Aviation Review Dec 1979 p.451. (moving into a hangar in 1973) following transfer to the MoD (Air) as a future exhibit for the RAF Museum. After take off the aircraft made a low level 'beat up' of Hatfield - Photo Flypast June 1994 p.51.The pilot signed off the flight as 'very satisfactory!' Co-pilot was George Aird (logbook extract on file) Declared non - effective aircraft upon arrival at Shawbury at 16.00. Total flying hours 1218.15; 602 landings.
Late 68 Two engines exchanged for life expired engines by Hawker Siddeley Aviation for use in their high speed wind tunnel, with the other two similarly exchanged in February 1974.
16 Jun 73 Struck off RAF charge.
Allocated Instructional serial 8351M
Jul/Aug 78 Dismantled for movement and repainted in full BOAC livery by British Airways engineering staff from Heathrow - a livery which it had never carried in service but was chosen to represent the former BOAC Comet fleet in the British Airways Museum fleet then being assembled. The aircraft had originally been scheduled to join the museum collection at RAF Colerne, Wilts.
17 Sep 78 Pickfords and British Airways staff moved the aircraft in three sections by road from Shawbury to the nearby Aerospace Museum, RAF Cosford, Salop. Photos - British Airways News 6 Oct 78 p.2.
Sep/Oct 78 Following reassembly at Cosford the aircraft remained on external display until 2006. Painted in BOAC colours by December 1978. Photos- Aircraft Illustrated May 1979; Flypast July 1999 p.92; The DH.106 Comet An Illustrated History Martin Painter Air Britain 2002pp.136-137.
Aug 97 When Comet IV XV814 was scrapped at Boscombe Down, parts salvaged included the port undercarriage bogie, to replace the cracked unit on G - APAS.
3 Aug 98 One of a number of aircraft gifted to the RAFM by the MoD.
4 Dec 2006 Moved to indoor display at Cosford in Hangar 1.
Aircraft Form 700s held by DoRIS, ref. B3191 - 94
The fuselage of fellow Air France Comet 1A 06020/F-BGNX is preserved by DH Heritage at Salisbury Hall, Herts.
The fuselage of BOAC Comet 1 G-ALYW survives incorporated into Leicestershire-based RAF Exhibition Flight Nimrod MRA.4 simulator ‘XV238’
The Science Museum at Wroughton have the nose of Comet 1A G-ANAV.
TEXT: ANDREW SIMPSON
© ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM 2007

[BelArgUSA]

virgo -
xxx
The Comet 4C in Chicago mid 1970s was N999WA - Ex Mexicana airplane.
It belonged to Dick Droste, owner of "Naked City" in Roselawn, Indiana.
Naked City was a nudist beach club in the Carribean.
The airplane was meant to be operated as travel club under then FAR 123.
I flew it from ABQ to ORD as F/E. It never flew again.
The pilots were two captains from Western Airlines...
None of the three of us, had ever been in a Comet.
No pilot had a Comet type rating in the USA.
Was under a "ferry permit" - VMC, at/below FL250, daytime, no passengers.
Pilots were 727 guys, they said it flew nice...
xxx
:8
Happy contrails