BOAC Comet 4 memories and memorabilia
Dan-Air bought all seven of the EAA Comet 4 fleet, but only operated four of them with the other three being used for spares.
Five of them were scrapped at its Lasham base in the '70s, with one soldiering on till 1980 before meeting the same fate, and one being damaged beyond repair in a wheels-up landing at Newcastle in 1970.
Returning to doors, the Pax entry doors were nominally the doors (fwd and aft) on the port side. The Stbd side doors were smaller and, in Dan Air service were used as catering doors as they opened at the galleys. The rear door on the Stbd side also gave access to the Dome Freight area, which, in modern terminology would be a bulk cargo hold. It was a small area between the aft galley and the aft pressure bulkhead.
That Museum of Flight restoration is beautiful, I've never seen a Comet in that condition !
That Museum of Flight restoration is beautiful, I've never seen a Comet in that condition !
Yes the stbd doors were smaller and while I'm sure we called the forward one the Crew Door I can't remember what we called the rear one. In 1958 as a dH apprentoid, one of the jobs I had was assisting the man who fitted those doors so I really should know.
Senior Management who was Cabin Staff 1971 to Dan ceased flying them agrees with your Fwd Crew Door but just referred to the aft stbd door as an emergency exit, if it helps.
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One memorable flight in a BEA Comet, went tech in flight, diverted to Madrid. Continued journey next day, on an Iberia DC-8, to Heathrow. Vanguard back to Glasgow. Now that is nostalgia.....
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Dan-Air bought all seven of the EAA Comet 4 fleet, but only operated four of them with the other three being used for spares.
All 3 were sold to Dan-Air at the end of 1970. Additionally, 3 Comets were chartered from Dan-Air during 1970 (and one from BOAC for a year or two in the mid-60s) but they had all gone by early 1971: presumably coinciding with the arrival of the DC9s (and the final VC10). All were given African registrations, so maybe they had EAA livery too, who knows: at least one of them apparently didn't.
Last edited by gruntie; 31st May 2017 at 07:09.
EAA had 3 Comet 4s, VP-KPJ, KPK and KRL: the first 2 delivered in 1960 and the latter in 1962 (the last 4 built, amongst the production of 4Cs, which creates confusion to this day)
All 3 were sold to Dan-Air at the end of 1970. Additionally, 3 Comets were chartered from Dan-Air during 1970 (and one from BOAC for a year or two in the mid-60s) but they had all gone by early 1971: presumably coinciding with the arrival of the DC9s (and the final VC10). All were given African registrations, so maybe they had EAA livery too, who knows: at least one of them apparently didn't.
All 3 were sold to Dan-Air at the end of 1970. Additionally, 3 Comets were chartered from Dan-Air during 1970 (and one from BOAC for a year or two in the mid-60s) but they had all gone by early 1971: presumably coinciding with the arrival of the DC9s (and the final VC10). All were given African registrations, so maybe they had EAA livery too, who knows: at least one of them apparently didn't.
The fourth, leased from BOAC, did and was the one that Dan-Air later wrote off at Newcastle:
Yes, I stand corrected, of the three that were leased from Dan-Air, the last (5Y-AMT) definitely didn't wear EAA livery and I suspect that the others didn't either, given their short leases.
The fourth, leased from BOAC, did and was the one that Dan-Air later wrote off at Newcastle:
The fourth, leased from BOAC, did and was the one that Dan-Air later wrote off at Newcastle:
I too had a look at the comings and goings of the EAAC Comets. Anything but simple to follow. As far as I can see none of the original three ever carried British registrations, so that looks as though they never flew with Danair.
Last edited by Planemike; 31st May 2017 at 10:23.
I guess that photograph was taken from the "waving base" at Nairobi Embakasi where I spent many happy hours, Tusker in hand, watching the comings and goings of some very strange airlines. It's also good to see the Comet and the VC-10, along with the engines on the Friendship, representing British engineering. It was always good to see the takeoff performance of the British aircraft compared to the Boeing 707/720s which did seem to struggle a bit at midday on a hot day. Ahh de Havilland......
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Certianly ties in with my memories of Embakasi in the early 70s, though I thought the viewing point was somewhat higher! (And I was much smaller!).
PS, did you know W*th*rsp**ns are selling bottled Tusker in the UK?
PS, did you know W*th*rsp**ns are selling bottled Tusker in the UK?
Somewhere in the loft I have a very similar shot taken with my newly acquired telephoto lens (bought on Kenyatta Avenue). A little cropping might give the "low-level" aspect but I agree the "waving base" was at the first storey level. On the other hand it could have been taken by an EAA employee at ground level. Whatever it is certainly a reminder of some happy days. Mzuri sana and all that.
Bought some Tusker in Tesco just up the road about a year back.
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A depressing pic I found somewhere of the 3 original EAA Comets in various stages of dismemberment.
Tusker is available from the South American River site, or from an excellent duka in Raynes Park, if you're in the area. I don't think Tescos do it any more.
Tusker is available from the South American River site, or from an excellent duka in Raynes Park, if you're in the area. I don't think Tescos do it any more.
Have seen this picture before. Think it is of the original three EAAC Comets wearing their post colonial registrations. Sad to see their end but should be remembered those three a/c had received intensive use over more than ten years. Backbone of the long distance fleet until the VC10s appeared. They of course were only just "run in" by the time EAAC collapsed in 1977. The RAF then went on to squeeze another nearly 35 years of life out of them. Well used a/c, or what??
Judging from the various aerofoils missing, it looks like they are still being used as Christmas trees, with the breaker's axe to follow at a later stage.
We had one more Comet here in the US: N999WA (not sure of the pre-US pedigree...N number deregistered)
It's gone now after sitting in KORD for many years. There's quite an interesting story of it's life here but I'm not authorized (or qualified) to tell it. Maybe someone will come along...
It's gone now after sitting in KORD for many years. There's quite an interesting story of it's life here but I'm not authorized (or qualified) to tell it. Maybe someone will come along...
It's gone now after sitting in KORD for many years. There's quite an interesting story of it's life here but I'm not authorized (or qualified) to tell it.
Dave,
It was an ignominious end for a grand airplane that flew in to KORD. I couldn't do the story justice.
Not trying to be coy but the story deserves proper telling. You'd just accuse me of making it up anyway. ;-)))
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul-t...-fqXGpD-7busnE
It was an ignominious end for a grand airplane that flew in to KORD. I couldn't do the story justice.
Not trying to be coy but the story deserves proper telling. You'd just accuse me of making it up anyway. ;-)))
https://www.flickr.com/photos/paul-t...-fqXGpD-7busnE
Last edited by bafanguy; 31st May 2017 at 21:28.
Dan-Air bought most of the retired Comets at scrap price, not only to put them into service but to use them for parts. Most were flown back to Lasham for stripping, others were dismantled at their last base. I believe that photo of the three EAA hulks will be at Lasham.
Actually there were three US-registered Comets, the three former Mexicana 4Cs, sold when retired as N777WA, N888WA and N999WA. They did indeed then follow convoluted but separate lives through various obscure owners, never really being used. 777 ended up at a zoo back in Mexico and was broken up a few years back, 888 is the one now at Seattle, and 999 was derelict at O'Hare for some 20 years but scrapped in the 1990s.
I'm not quite clear how they got onto the US register given that the flight deck/forward section is also the design used on the original Caravelles (it was designed, and the first few were actually built under subcontract, by De Havilland), which the FAA rejected when United ordered their 20 Caravelles, on the grounds of insufficient visibility for the crew, and Sud had to re-engineer it with larger windows. Looking at the photo of the aircraft at Seattle, above, I can sort of see the FAA's point.
We had one more Comet here in the US: N999WA (not sure of the pre-US pedigree...N number deregistered)
I'm not quite clear how they got onto the US register given that the flight deck/forward section is also the design used on the original Caravelles (it was designed, and the first few were actually built under subcontract, by De Havilland), which the FAA rejected when United ordered their 20 Caravelles, on the grounds of insufficient visibility for the crew, and Sud had to re-engineer it with larger windows. Looking at the photo of the aircraft at Seattle, above, I can sort of see the FAA's point.
Last edited by WHBM; 1st Jun 2017 at 10:55.
