A new illustrated history of the first commercial jet airliner. The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the first jet airliner. Prototypes first flew in 1949, deliveries of production aircraft began in 1951, and the type entered commercial service in 1952. It was expected to deliver great prestige and prosperity to the postwar British aerospace industry, but the Comet's reputation was badly tarnished by several fatal crashes. About a quarter of the aircraft built were destroyed or written off in accidents. This book by freelance aviation journalist Wolfgang Borgmann provides an account of the type's development and production in the 1940s and then proceeds to describe the technical details and operational histories of all variants including models 1, 2, 3, and 4. The work features about 250 images, the majority of which are in color. Even dedicated fans of the Comet will find new information and unseen images. Aircraft in various nostalgic liveries are featured, including those from BOAC, Air France, PanAm, Nigeria Airways, and Japan Airlines. Military variants operated by the RAF and RCAF are also included.
