Saudi Arabian Government

SA-R-7 6461

This was probably the most unusual Comet produced. It was a 4C and was bought by the Saudi Arabian Government as the personal transport of King Ibn Saud. It was delivered on 15^th June 1962 with a striking dark green and yellow livery.

The nose was dark green and this swept back to form a point over the first cabin windows. From under the fuselage a dark green band emerged forward of the first cabin window and swept up and back along the fuselage above the cabin windows until it reached the rear passenger door where the top of the band continued to the tail-cone and the bottom swung down and just below the centre line forward. Below the centre line of the fuselage a fine yellow band ran from a point just under the cockpit side windows to just forward of the tailplane. The tail was a pale yellow and marked with SA-R-7 and a green flag with a crossed Saudi swords emblem in white upon it. The remainder of the fuselage was polished silver.

Sadly SA-R-7 crashed into the Italian Alps – in the Monte Matto mountains, near Cuneo, on route Geneva-Nice on the night of the 20^th March 1963. Members of the Saudi Royal family were on board. Amongst the crew were de Havilland Flight Engineer Ken Rouse.

More information from the Aviation Safety Network here

Sudan Airways