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de Havilland DH.106 Comet Family

The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first jet airliner to enter commercial passenger service. Its swept low wing, four buried jet engines, pressurized cabin, and high cruising altitude transformed expectations for long-distance travel. Early structural failures exposed destructive pressure-cycle fatigue and led to an unprecedented full-scale investigation; the substantially redesigned Comet 4 restored the type to service and also supported military and research work.

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Identity

Aliases
DH.106 CometDH 106 CometComet 1Comet 2Comet 3Comet 4Comet 4BComet 4C
Family Name
de Havilland DH.106 Comet
Full Name
de Havilland DH.106 Comet Family
Roles
airlinermilitaryresearch
Status
retired
Type
aircraft

Details

Aircraft Specs
Configuration
fixed_wing
Operating Modes
land
Takeoff Landing Capabilities
conventional
Description
The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the world's first jet airliner to enter commercial passenger service. Its swept low wing, four buried jet engines, pressurized cabin, and high cruising altitude transformed expectations for long-distance travel. Early structural failures exposed destructive pressure-cycle fatigue and led to an unprecedented full-scale investigation; the substantially redesigned Comet 4 restored the type to service and also supported military and research work.
First Flight Year
1,949
Manufacturer
Propulsion Configurations
  • Entries
    • Nested value
    Name
    de Havilland Comet 1 Ghost 50 Mk 1 installation
    Notes
    Comet 1 production configuration only. Comet 2/2X/2E and Comet 3/4 family alternatives, including Avon-powered variants, remain intentionally unmodeled until exact variant packets are separately sourced. This alternative is not a claim that every DH.106 subseries used Ghost 50 Mk 1.

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Creation Time
July 29, 2026 at 09:16:33 UTC
Updated Time
August 4, 2026 at 22:37:32 UTC