Contributors
Mike Delaney:
Anecdotes from a “Test Instrument Engineer” at Hatfield working for/with, amongst others, Charles Caliendi, John Marshal and Vic Chambers
Mr Dick Durand III
For material and images of Westernair Comets
Phil Jones
For Cosford photographs
Peter Bois
Test Pilot – de Havilland Aircraft Company from 1950 – 1956
On the use of ‘Sprite‘ rocket in assisted take-offs here
On Dave Davis – ARB Chief Pilot – and Certificate of Airworthiness here
Flutter incident while crewing with John Cunningham here
Testing icing conditions – testing at high altitude here
Evaluate increasing the forward centre-of-gravity – hazardous incident here
Determining stall characteristics – extensively evaluated here
The loss of Yoke Zulu and the Canadian PA Mk1A – an explanation for the losses here
Theory on the loss of the Canadian Mk1 here
Peter Bois Theory on the loss of Yoke Victor here
Peter describes a typical test flight with RAE personnel here
Peter McKeown
Capt. Peter McKeown – Senior Line Training Captain for BEA and one of a small team of pilots sent to Hatfield to initiate BEA’s preparations for Comet introduction.
Peter on the three pilot option favoured by BEA here and here
Peter on his first flight in the Mk3B – G-ANLO here
Demonstration flights in G-APMB with John Cunningham, Peter Buggé, Peter Wilson and Ted Young, as flight engineer E1 here
Problems with slush on the 4B here
Final thoughts on flying the Comet here
Ken Emmott
BOAC Training : Comet 1 Development Unit at Heathrow, London
Photographs
A special thank you to the following copyright holders who have given permission for images to appear on this site:
Michael Baldock Nick Challoner Paul Robinson Darcy Stevens Brian Robbins Maximo Verrascina Philippe Coraboeuf
Ian Marr for XN453 at Farnborough
And Mike Hooks
Also a special thank you to the staff at Dan Air Engineering, Lasham who gave great support in the 1990s when this website was first launched
Additional information
Eric Anderson, Victoria, B.C. Canada – photograph of G-APDO taken by Dr. Lewis Anderson at Lagos in 1963
John Switzer for additional information on 6407 XV814, 6422 G-APMB & 6443 N777WA
Rob Hood for information on XA-NAS
Trevor Friend for correction / information on fuselage at Farnborough [G-ALZK] and water-testtank at Hatfield
Bart Koop on Air Ceylon and G-APDC
Excellent additional Reference – Frank Halford
Major Frank Bernard Halford CBE, FRAes, MSAE
This is an excellent website dedicated to the amazing Frank Halford – the man behind the Goblin jet engines used by de Havilland in numerous aircraft.
Please visit Aviation – The Halford Napier and De Havilland Engines (comet-jet.com)
This is a non profit information website about an interesting part of aviation history.