British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950

British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950
British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950

 

In 1950, easy passenger jet travel was still a dream that could excite the public.  The deHavilland Comet was still in its infancy when, for a test flight, it flew from London to North Africa, a distance of 3,000 miles, at a top speed of 450 miles per hour.

See Another Cutaway View of a Comet, 1950

The Comet was designed for maximum passenger (and crew) comfort and safety, with feature unheard of in today’s jets:  separate room for hats and coats, gender-segregated washrooms, a dinghy stored in the wing, a First Class front cabin, large galley, and a room for stewardesses.

The Comet officially took off for regular passenger service on May 2, 1952.  But the Comet was not destined for great things.  Within only a year, the deHavilland Comet first crashed, a victim of metal fatigue.  The accident in Karachi, Pakistan, which killed 11 people, bestowed a new distinction on the Comet:  the first passenger jetliner crash resulting in fatalities.

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British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950
British DeHavilland Comet Passenger Jet, 1950

Popular Mechanics:  April 1950

By Lee Wallender

Deception, influence, fakes, illusions, themed environments, simulations, secret places, secret infrastructure, imagined places, dreamscapes, movie sets and props, evasions, camouflage, studio backlots, miniatures.

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