Comet Mk1
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Comet Mk1
You know the old adage - "if it looks right, it usually flies right"? Most DH products fitted the bill. The Mosquito looking beautiful straight from the drawing board.
Watching Cold War/Hot Jets last night reminded me of a long-held nagging thought. The first Comets (putting the whole fatigue issue to one side), whilst the wing planform is very graceful, look odd because the front fuselage ahead of the wings is so stubby. It is as if the DH design team envisaged a larger aircraft and then shrank it to conform with perceived market demands (in terms of pax load).
The Comet 4, by contrast, was a real beauty, in my view.
Watching Cold War/Hot Jets last night reminded me of a long-held nagging thought. The first Comets (putting the whole fatigue issue to one side), whilst the wing planform is very graceful, look odd because the front fuselage ahead of the wings is so stubby. It is as if the DH design team envisaged a larger aircraft and then shrank it to conform with perceived market demands (in terms of pax load).
The Comet 4, by contrast, was a real beauty, in my view.
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I can't offer a definitive (or first-hand) answer as we were building the first Comet 4s when I joined, but it may simply be that you (and I) are looking at the aeroplane with a "post-period" eye.
What I do know is that once the general shape of the DH106 was determined (i.e. not a rear-engined canard, not a twin-boom and nacelle job and not tailless) not much changed before it flew.
What I do know is that once the general shape of the DH106 was determined (i.e. not a rear-engined canard, not a twin-boom and nacelle job and not tailless) not much changed before it flew.
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The later Marks 3 & 4 could carry many more pax than the Mark 1 was ever even envisioned to carry. Originally it seemed to be designed for the benefit of senior civil servants, politicians, top brass and captains of industry as air travel was still pretty exclusive in the 1940s.
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I flew in a RAF Mark1 Comet to Nellis Field in the late '50's. Previous to that I had only flown in the Hastings, when being transported from A to B. Compared to the Hastings, the Comet was a blissful experience. I agree re. the Mark 4, beautiful looking aircraft
