2 December – 28 December 1955
The trip's objective was to assess the Mk. 4s' commercial capabilities practically.
Nothing illustrates G-ANLO's public relations potential more than a tour. On 2 December 1955, G-ANLO, the prototype de Havilland DH-106 Comet 3, departed Hatfield Aerodrome, Hertfordshire, England, with Chief Test Pilot John Cunningham and Per Buggé in the cockpit. R.W. Chandler was the navigator/radio operator. Other crew members included Chief Flight Engineer E. Brackstone Brown and flight engineers R.V. Ablett and J. Hamilton. Several de Havilland executives and engineers were among the passengers. Captain A.P.W. Cane of British Overseas Airways Corporation and Captain I.D.V. Ralfe of Qantas were aboard to observe the new airliner in operation.
First leg to Australia 2 - 4 December
Heavy fog delayed the flight departing at 5:30 a.m. local time. Five hours and three minutes later, the Comet 3 landed in Cairo, Egypt, after flying 3845km (2076 miles). Rather than continuing as initially planned, the crew remained overnight in Cairo. G-ANLO left Cairo the following morning and with refueling stops at Bombay, Maharashtra, India; Singapore, Colony of Singapore; and Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia; the airliner arrived at Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on 4 December, after a total of 19 hours, 5 minutes of flight. The distance traveled was 16164km (8728 miles). During the Singapore-Darwin leg, the Comet 3 cruised at 13411m (44000 feet). More than 20000 people were waiting at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport to see the new jetliner arrive. Group Captain Cunningham made demonstration flights from Sydney to Melbourne, Canberra and Perth.
Flying over the Pacific Ocean
Group Captain Cunningham made demonstration flights from Sydney to Melbourne, Canberra and Perth. G-ANLO then continued to Auckland, New Zealand, flying 2159km (1166 miles) in 2 hours and 43 minutes. The journey from Auckland to Nadi Airport, Fiji, 2135km (1153 miles), took 2 hours and 52 minutes
First visit of a commercial Jet in the United States on 13 December 1955
The next leg of the around-the-world tour, from Fiji to Honolulu, in the Hawaiian Islands, was completed on 13 December, the first landing of a commercial jet airliner on United States territory. The Comet 3 covered 5159km (2791 miles, in 6 hours, 44 minutes. G-ANLO remained at Honolulu for the next two days.
c/n MSN 06100 G-ANLO arrived at Honolulu Airport, Hawaii, on 13 December 1955, the first landing of a commercial jet airliner on United States territory. Zoggavia Collection
Canada and Transcontinental Crossing 15 - 20 December
On 15 December, Comet 3 left Honolulu for Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 4460 km (2408 miles). The duration of this flight was 5 hours and 40 minutes. The Comet 3 flew across Canada to Toronto, Ontario, 3515 km (1898 miles) in 3 hours and 56 minutes, then to Montreal, Quebec, arriving there on 20 December.
G-ANLO is visiting the De Havilland of Canada plant at Downsview, near Toronto. Zoggavia Collection
During this successful tour, numerous records were set, and the Comet 3 became the first commercial jet to cross the Pacific and circumnavigate the world. The total distance flown by G-ANLO was 45048km (24,324 nautical miles, 27,991.6 statute miles), and the total flight time was 56 hours and 17 minutes. The airliner proved highly reliable – there was only one problem on the whole trip -the detachment of an extension jet pipe from the starboard inner engine. This happened a few minutes after leaving Montreal on 22 December. It was soon repaired.
The trip was a huge success but a challenging one for the crew. One engineer described the Comet 3 pressurization system as a 'lash up.' The structure was Comet 2, so G-ANLO could only be pressurized to 4 psi. This gave a cabin pressure equivalent to 2240m (8000ft) even when cruising at 6100m (20000ft). This was the maximum altitude used for demonstration flights. Still, en route between destinations, the Comet cruised at about 10700m (35000ft) (crew on oxygen), rising gradually with cruise climb to 12100m (40000ft, and on the longest stage, G-ANLO touched 13500m (44000ft). Today's Jetliners are pressurized to around 8 psi (0,6 bar).
G-ANLO had made the trip in BOAC colors, flying the flag, as it were. In addition to de Havilland staff, BOAC had seconded Capt. Peter Cane, who acted as a crew member for the tour. The Comet flew under standard airliner procedures to allow the collection of comparable data for an efficient assessment.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower awarded Group Captain Cunningham for this flight the Harmon Trophy on 23 October 1956.
The DH.106 Comet 3 in brief
The de Havilland DH.106 Comet 3 was an enhanced version of the Comet 2 series. It was 4,572m (15 feet) longer, with a length of 33,985 m (111 feet, 6 inches), a wingspan of 35,052 meters (115 feet), and an overall height of 8,992 m (29 feet, 6 inches. The wings and tail surfaces had been enlarged, and it was powered by four Rolls Royce Avon 521 turbojet engines, each rated at 44,48kN (10,000 pounds) of thrust.
This airliner was designed to carry 58–76 passengers on flights of up to 4184 km (2,600 miles). Visual differences from the previous Comets included circular passenger windows and wing tanks (Comet 4) that extended forward from the wings’ leading edges.
The Comet 3 had only two units built, with one used for static testing. Production then shifted to the Comet 4, which featured even more improvements. The prototype G-ANLO underwent several modifications, including the shortening of its wings and removal of external wing tanks in 1958, leading to its redesignation as the Comet 3B.
G-ANLO DH.106 Comet 3, as Comet 4 test bed, in the later BOAC colors at Farnborough in September 1957.
Zoggavia Collection
G-ANLO DH.106 Comet 3, as Comet 4B test bed with shorter wings and the external wingtanks removed, in the old BEA colors at Farnborough in September 1958. Zoggavia Collection
Afterward, the Ministry of Supply took ownership of the Comet under the new registration, XP915. It was one of four aircraft types utilized at the Blind Landing Experimental Unit (BLEU) at RAE Bedford. In 1964, XP915 was used to assess the Comet as a potential replacement for the Avro Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft used by the RAF Coastal Command. The Comet's low-speed handling was especially advantageous for this purpose, as it allowed the aircraft to reach the target quickly and fly slowly for extended periods or "loiter" over the target. It was taken out of service in 1966 and scrapped.
The De Havilland Comet page will provide a detailed timeline with information about the development of the first commercial jetliner, as well as a gallery with stunning images of the Concorde of its time.