Jet Development
    Military Precursors | Comet + Tupolev | Boeing + Competitors | Short-to-Medium | B.747 | DC-10 + TriStar | Supersonic Pioneering | Concorde |
    Tu-144 | SST Ambitions | Airbus + Boeing | A380 | Dreamliner + A350 | Narrowbodies | Flying Wings | Studies + Ambitions | Data | Fleet



Comet and Tupolev



Comet 4, Dan-Air, Munich Riem 1972 (WS)


Comet 4B, Olympic Airways (courtesy Olympic)

Comet 1
From war-time England, R.E.G. Davies reported a discussion in 1943 between Geoffrey de Havilland and his engineers in consideration of the almost ready D.H.100 Vampire jet fighter, when chief engineer Walker observed: “You could have all this in a civil airliner.” In 1944 the Brabazon Committee formulated the plan to build a jet passenger aircraft, resulting in preliminary studies which showed a configuration comparable to de Havilland’s first Vampire jet fighter. In 1946 the final layout, with a slightly swept-back wing, influenced by the German developments, discovered by engineer Walker, and with 4 de Havilland Ghost turbojets integrated, was completed under chief designer Ron Bishop. Also Sir Frank Whittle had participated in the program. In 1947 the state-owned BOAC placed a preliminary order. On July26, 1949 the D.H.106 Comet had the maiden flight as the first true jetliner. On May2, 1952, BOAC operated with the beautiful Comet 1 the first jet passenger service, flying from London to Johannesburg, followed by SAA with leased Comets. The Comet 1A with D.H. Ghost turbojets was put into service by Air France and UAT and got orders by Canadian Pacific. The series 2 with Rolls-Royce Avon turbojets was ordered by Air France, BOAC, BCPA (to be taken over by Qantas), Canadian Pacific, JAL, LAV of Venezuela, Panair do Brasil and UAT. The bigger Comet 3 had orders by BOAC, Pan American and Air India. After a series of fatal crashes, caused mainly by metal fatigue, all Comets were withdrawn in 1954 and all deliveries were stopped.

Comet 4
De Havilland did not give up, as pessimists would have recommended. In 1958 a new Comet 4 was operative. The de Havilland (later Hawker Siddeley) Comet 4 was introduced by BOAC, Aerolineas Argentinas and East African. The 4A order by Capital Airlines was canceled. The medium-range Comet 4B was ordered by BEA and Olympic and the 4C by United Arab Airlines (of Egypt and Syria), MEA, Mexicana, Kuwait Airways and Sudan Airways. The highest accident rate had United Arab, losing 5 Comets. One Mexicana Comet with additional titles was used on transatlantic flights by Aerovias GUEST. Other ones from Mexicana, already registered for Western Airlines, were stored. An ex-BOAC Comet (HC-ALT ex G-APDI) operated in AREA Ecuador colors. Air Ceylon, Air India, Malayan and Nigeria used the Comet 4 in collaboration with BOAC, and BEA operated the Comet 4B for Cyprus Airways. One Comet (G-APON) was sold to Globe Air, but this Swiss prop airline collapsed before using it. In the 1970’s the Comets were withdrawn from regular service and the last ones were phased out by the British carrier Dan-Air in 1980.


Comet 4, BOAC folder

Comet 4C, Egypt Air, Cairo – Athens flight in 1975 (WS)

Comet 4, Mexicana (courtesy British Aerospace)

Comet 4, Aerolineas Argentinas (courtesy British Aerospace)

Vickers and Canada
The first flight of an airliner for jet tests had been made in 1948 by a Vickers Viking prop, used as a testbed with Rolls-Royce “Nene” engines. In the ‘50s the Vickers V.1000 with 4 engines integrated in the wing roots, comparable to the Vickers Valiant bomber, had been nearly completed, but was stopped due to lack of funds.

The first jetliner of North America, the 4-engined A.V. Roe Canada C-102 with the outdated wing design of the Lancastrian bomber, appeared in 1949. Though the prototype undertook some passenger flights, the government directed A.V. Roe Canada to produce the CF-100 interceptor instead of an airliner.


Avro Canada C-102 (National Aviation Museum, Ottawa)

The 152, using the Ju 287 experience, escaped from scrap by being declared a home, Rothenburg (WS 1995)

Tupolev Tu-104, Aeroflot, Munich Riem 1973 (WS)

Tupolev Tu-104, OK-LDC ex CSA, Touzim (WS 1990)

152, Tupolev Tu-104, Tu-124
Stalin ordered in 1953 the Soviet bloc’s first jetliner to be built in East German GDR (DDR), using the Ju 287 development, continued in the Soviet Union for the bomber 150. Under Brunolf Baade and Fritz Freytag the 152, a shoulder-wing 4-engined short-to-medium haul jetliner was built, but then hushed up and scrapped in favor of Tupolevs.

The Russian twin-engined Tupolev Tu-104, a derivative of the jet bomber Tu-16, surprised the Western World on March22, 1956 when it landed at London Heathrow, a delegation on board. It entered service in 1956 with Aeroflot only. With the heavier Tu-104A for 70 passengers the non-stop connection Moscow – Paris was opened in 1958. CSA employed the Tu-104A since 1957, then even on routes to Africa and Far East. The Tu-104 series operated successfully for Aeroflot also on routes to Beijing, Pyongyang and Jakarta and they remained in service until 1979, the Tu-104B for 100 passengers being the last version. The project of a Tu-110 derivative was abandoned.

A smaller version, following the same principle with 2 wing-integrated engines, was the Tu-124, entering service with Aeroflot on short-haul routes in 1962, then used also by CSA and Interflug. Being a derivative of the bomber, the Tu-104 and 124 were reliable aircraft, uneconomic however for commercial use.