Leslie Edward [Ted] Fiddian Young
Flight Engineer’s Log
- This site features extracts from the Flight Engineer’s Log of L. E. F [Ted] Young
- The log covers the formative years of the Comet and the development of the Mk.4 and it’s introduction into airline service.
The logs cover 1953 to 1967
DH 106 and all it’s variants
Comets Mk.1s, 2s and 3s
In this section we look at the early years of the Comet
Comet 1
Looking at Design and it’s first flight
Comet 1
Development and entering service.
Comet 2
The Comet 2 was the next logical development of the Comet 1 but never saw airline service. This section cover specification, variants and it’s fate
Comet 2 and the RAF
Comet Mk.2s were operated by the RAF – mostly in Transport Command but also in various modified forms.
Comet 3
When it was decide that the Comet 2 would not enter airline service a much bigger Comet was designed. The Comet 3 became a test bed for development of the Comet 4 and 4B
Accidents
A series of tragic accidents grounded the Comet 1 – as aircraft manufacturers discovered the concept of metal fatigue.
Court of Inquiry
A Court of Inquiry was set up to determine why a number of Comet Mk.1s crashed.
BOAC Comet 1s
BOAC became the main and as it happened only operators of the Comet 1
Comets Mk.4, 4B, 4C and C4
In this section we look at the Comet 4 and it’s derivatives
Comet 4 Developments
Comet 4 developments up to the Certificate of Airworthiness – including Air-conditioning, certification and demonstration flights
Flying the Mk.4
Cruise-climb, Stall Characteristics and endurance records
Comet 4 Variants
The proposed 4A, developing the 4B and the 4C
BOAC and the Comet 4
From maiden flight, crossing the pond, services expand, advertising, incidents and the end of the line
BEA Experiences 1
Crew Training, maiden flight, pilot selection, route proving, slush issues, Olympic Airways, Air Race and pay dispute
BEA Experiences 2
Services, Utilization, Simulator, Grounded, Services Expand, Accidents, Air Tours and Peter McKeown
C.4 RAF
Five C4s were supplied to RAF Transport Command – Airframe numbers 6467 [XR395], 6468 [XR396], 6469 [XR397], 6470 [XR398] & 6471 [XR399]
Moscow Trip
In 1956 the Soviet Union was planning a prestigious Air Show. An official invitation was extended by the Soviet leader – Nikita Kruschov – via their head of Aviation (Bulganin), to the British Secretary of State for Air, Nigel Birch, to visit Moscow that June to see the Soviet Air Show at Tushino airfield, Moscow.
This is an account of that visit ….
The Blériot AIR RACE
In 1909 Lord Northcliffe offered a prize to the first aviator to fly across the English Channel.Fifty years later, in July 1959, the Daily Mail newspaper sponsored a celebratory Air Race as a tribute to Louis Blériot and offered a prize of £10,000.
BEA entered a team known as the BEAline syndicate – see how they got on…
Flight Engineer's Logs XA-NAR
Aircraft, particularly new types of aircraft, have to undergo a thorough testing and evaluation procedure before entering service The trials of G-AOVU are typical of that process.
Here we have logs from the first flight on 31st Oct 1959 up until 9th Aug 1962 with a scheduled flight from Mexico Cioty to LA.
