Traveling at 600 mph the plane should have covered the 7000 mile trip in 11.6 hours. That distance traveled in 42 hours would make the average speed 166 mph. Even if they had to stop 3 time for fuel and where laid over for an hour and a half each time that would only add 4 and a half hours to the trip. Doesn't add up.
@blueb0g, the Comet was certainly fast, but it had to make intermediate stops along the way. Non-stop travel on what was called the "Kangaroo Route" would have to wait until the Boeing 707-338B operated by Qantas.
After G-ALYV, G-ALYP (Yoke Peter) and G-ALYY (Yoke Yoke) broke up it was interesting how DeHavilland went about creating pressurised cycles on the ground using a large tank of water to submerge, time & time again, an actual Comet airframe (G-ALYU) to create re-pressurization and over-pressurization. At 1,836 simulated cycles G-ALYU burst open from metal fatigue around windows in particular.
In truth, Boeing simply could not sell the 707 at first. The airlines - in the US in particular - were quite happy with their piston-engine propliners, being convinced that no company could make money carrying passengers in jets. They were seen as too fuel-hungry.
What saved Boeing - and the 707 - was an interim order from the USAF for 250 KC-135 air tankers (based on the same 367-80 prototype) in mid-1955, before the Lockheed L.193 was ready.
@flygweilo Even then, Boeing still placed no 797 orders, and Juan Trippe met george Edwards - the MD of Vickers Aircraft in England - to order Vickers' larger VC7, which had better range and a wider fuselage than the 707.
Under relentless pressure from Trippe, and with the threat of the civilian 707 program being cancelled, Boeing finally consented to widen the fuselage of the 707 to 148 ins (to match that of the VC7), and paced orders for 20 707s and 35 DC8s on 13 October 1955.
@flygweilo Trippe then cancelled Pan Am's order for the 707, and one month later, in a mysterious decision which remains unexplained, state-owned BOAC also cancelled their order for the VC7. The UK Government then cancelled the RAF order for the military variant of the VC7 (called the V.1000) and withdrew all Government funding in support. The existing VC7 prototypes were ordered destroyed, & the UK Air Ministry sent officials to the Vickers' plant to over see this act of industrial vandalism.
@flygweilo Just to make sure the VC7 could NEVER be resuscitated, all technical drawings for the design were confiscated by the UK Government and burned. The 200+ VC7 orders from overseas airliens were frustrated as no aircraft was now available or able to be produced.
Only one Comet 3 ever flew (out of 2 manufactured), and by the time the Comet 4 finally flew, the 707 and DC8 were not far behind.
@flygweilo Interestingly, the Lockheed L.193 was then cancelled by the US Government, and over 800 KC-135 air tankers were eventually acquired by the USAF, with the last delivery in 1965.
This USAF KC-135 program order secured the future of the 707 program, and eventually 1,010 707s were delivered. But because of the constant design changes that accompanied the three widenings of the 707's fuselage, and the corresponding changes in jigging and tooling, the 707 made little money for Boeing.
@tim60s321 and I think they take-off slower too. I remember take-off was exciting and visceral(big word for my week) because you felt thrown back in your seat because of the sudden thrust. Now, with longer runways, it's lame.
@kmg501 It was the first commercial jet lol. So it was the fastest comercial aircraft when it was first introduced - 600mph is still the speed modern aircraft fly at.
Traveling at 600 mph the plane should have covered the 7000 mile trip in 11.6 hours. That distance traveled in 42 hours would make the average speed 166 mph. Even if they had to stop 3 time for fuel and where laid over for an hour and a half each time that would only add 4 and a half hours to the trip. Doesn't add up.
aussiepaul44 2 months ago
The Nimrod is designed off this, and the RAF still fly them!
RampantRedBull 2 months ago
wah 42 hours flight to australia thats 3 days long
siaggbond 3 months ago
@blueb0g, the Comet was certainly fast, but it had to make intermediate stops along the way. Non-stop travel on what was called the "Kangaroo Route" would have to wait until the Boeing 707-338B operated by Qantas.
johneddy98033 6 months ago
After G-ALYV, G-ALYP (Yoke Peter) and G-ALYY (Yoke Yoke) broke up it was interesting how DeHavilland went about creating pressurised cycles on the ground using a large tank of water to submerge, time & time again, an actual Comet airframe (G-ALYU) to create re-pressurization and over-pressurization. At 1,836 simulated cycles G-ALYU burst open from metal fatigue around windows in particular.
MrRonnieG 7 months ago
i my opinion that is the most beautiful commercial aircraft ever built
azzer411 9 months ago
@azzer411 Yup, along with the Super VC 10, and I have flown on both.
CaptBubble 8 months ago
In truth, Boeing simply could not sell the 707 at first. The airlines - in the US in particular - were quite happy with their piston-engine propliners, being convinced that no company could make money carrying passengers in jets. They were seen as too fuel-hungry.
What saved Boeing - and the 707 - was an interim order from the USAF for 250 KC-135 air tankers (based on the same 367-80 prototype) in mid-1955, before the Lockheed L.193 was ready.
flygweilo 1 year ago
@flygweilo Even then, Boeing still placed no 797 orders, and Juan Trippe met george Edwards - the MD of Vickers Aircraft in England - to order Vickers' larger VC7, which had better range and a wider fuselage than the 707.
Under relentless pressure from Trippe, and with the threat of the civilian 707 program being cancelled, Boeing finally consented to widen the fuselage of the 707 to 148 ins (to match that of the VC7), and paced orders for 20 707s and 35 DC8s on 13 October 1955.
flygweilo 1 year ago
@flygweilo Trippe then cancelled Pan Am's order for the 707, and one month later, in a mysterious decision which remains unexplained, state-owned BOAC also cancelled their order for the VC7. The UK Government then cancelled the RAF order for the military variant of the VC7 (called the V.1000) and withdrew all Government funding in support. The existing VC7 prototypes were ordered destroyed, & the UK Air Ministry sent officials to the Vickers' plant to over see this act of industrial vandalism.
flygweilo 1 year ago
@flygweilo Just to make sure the VC7 could NEVER be resuscitated, all technical drawings for the design were confiscated by the UK Government and burned. The 200+ VC7 orders from overseas airliens were frustrated as no aircraft was now available or able to be produced.
Only one Comet 3 ever flew (out of 2 manufactured), and by the time the Comet 4 finally flew, the 707 and DC8 were not far behind.
flygweilo 1 year ago
@flygweilo Interestingly, the Lockheed L.193 was then cancelled by the US Government, and over 800 KC-135 air tankers were eventually acquired by the USAF, with the last delivery in 1965.
This USAF KC-135 program order secured the future of the 707 program, and eventually 1,010 707s were delivered. But because of the constant design changes that accompanied the three widenings of the 707's fuselage, and the corresponding changes in jigging and tooling, the 707 made little money for Boeing.
flygweilo 1 year ago
all this talk of speed...to save fuel modern jets cruise at mach 0.85 which is 567 mph or so ..slower than back in the 60s!
tim60s321 1 year ago
@tim60s321 and I think they take-off slower too. I remember take-off was exciting and visceral(big word for my week) because you felt thrown back in your seat because of the sudden thrust. Now, with longer runways, it's lame.
mistersmith6000 11 months ago
Herlihy was good on the "Children's Hour," but his cold war newsreels were full of lies.
Any Comet would have to start diving from somewhere near the moon to make 600 m.p.h. from Britain to Australia nonstop.
whizbang47 1 year ago
wasn't the comet the first jet airliner?
deepeyes001 1 year ago
@deepeyes001 yup, and this is the plane that changed the shape of airline windows too!
bowlingwithzombies 1 year ago
Yep pretty quick . Unfortunately the Comet suffered some airframe failures which ended up aiding the old Boeing 707 to get a large market share ..
wrh61 1 year ago 5
@wrh61 yeah, they fixed the problem though and it was fine, i would rather go in this than in a 707 any day
BringEllisTheHoriZon 1 year ago
600 miles an hour was fairly fast for a commercial jet in that day?
kmg501 1 year ago
@kmg501 It was the first commercial jet lol. So it was the fastest comercial aircraft when it was first introduced - 600mph is still the speed modern aircraft fly at.
blueb0g 1 year ago 2
cooll!
DavidLTG 1 year ago