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N0KFQ > TODAY 27.07.14 15:16l 55 Lines 2519 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 31908_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Jul 27
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<IR1UAW<IQ5KG<I0OJJ<N6RME<N0KFQ
Sent: 140727/1415Z 31908@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQK1.4.60
Jul 27, 1949:
First jet makes test flight
On this day in 1949, the world's first jet-propelled airliner,
the British De Havilland Comet, makes its maiden test-flight in
England. The jet engine would ultimately revolutionize the
airline industry, shrinking air travel time in half by enabling
planes to climb faster and fly higher.
The Comet was the creation of English aircraft designer and
aviation pioneer Sir Geoffrey de Havilland (1882-1965). De
Havilland started out designing motorcycles and buses, but after
seeing Wilbur Wright demonstrate an airplane in 1908, he decided
to build one of his own. The Wright brothers had made their
famous first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. De
Havilland successfully designed and piloted his first plane in
1910 and went on to work for English aircraft manufacturers
before starting his own company in 1920. De Havilland Aircraft
Company became a leader in the aviation industry, known for
developing lighter engines and faster, more streamlined planes.
In 1939, an experimental jet-powered plane debuted in Germany.
During World War II, Germany was the first country to use jet
fighters. De Havilland also designed fighter planes during the
war years. He was knighted for his contributions to aviation in
1944.
Following the war, De Havilland turned his focus to commercial
jets, developing the Comet and the Ghost jet engine. After its
July 1949 test flight, the Comet underwent three more years of
testing and training flights. Then, on May 2, 1952, the British
Overseas Aircraft Corporation (BOAC) began the world's first
commercial jet service with the 44-seat Comet 1A, flying paying
passengers from London to Johannesburg. The Comet was capable of
traveling 480 miles per hour, a record speed at the time.
However, the initial commercial service was short-lived, and due
to a series of fatal crashes in 1953 and 1954, the entire fleet
was grounded. Investigators eventually determined that the planes
had experienced metal fatigue resulting from the need to
repeatedly pressurize and depressurize. Four years later, De
Havilland debuted an improved and recertified Comet, but in the
meantime, American airline manufacturers Boeing and Douglas had
each introduced faster, more efficient jets of their own and
become the dominant forces in the industry. By the early 1980s,
most Comets used by commercial airlines had been taken out of
service.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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