Comet!: The World's First Jet Airliner

Ever since I was a kid watching Dan Air Comets at Lowfield Heath, this has always been a type that fascinated me, in part perhaps because of its obvious importance in the history of civil aviation and also because of the striking beauty of the design, so I couldn't resist ordering a copy of this new history of the Comet.And this is certainly a book that does not disappoint, offering a wealth of technical information as well as a range of intersting behind-the-scenes anecdotes, while always providing a readable narrative.As one would expect,due attention is also paid to the tragic series of crashes that afflicted the Comet 1, with a wealth of detail on the subsequent investigation and also some interesting comments regarding a recent TV documentary on the subject. There is also a wealth of interesting photos, many of which will be new to readers.To be critical, the layout is sometimes a little cluttered, the reproduction of a few photos is not the best and there is the odd typographical error, but these are minor points and hardly tell against the book; all could easily be remedied in a future edition, which really does deserve to appear.So if you have any interest in British post war civil aviation or jet airliners, go ahead and buy Mr Simons' book. You will certainly find it money well spent.

Cover 5/5 Says everything about what is in the bookContents - I have read several sections in the book before getting down to a complete read and what I have read so far is most interesting and fully lives up to my expectations. I read on ...Finished reading last night 11 January 2017. Amazing how quickly the Comet was designed and put into service. A giant leap forward in aviation. Sadly into new areas of risk.Quite a lot of repetition. Useful to have in one book the whole life story including Nimrod.I assume De Havilands only survived the initial problems with government support. More details of the financial aspects of the Comet 1 and 2 would be usefulOverall an informative read.Alexander of Allrighters and Ywnwab!

A superbly written book. Is indepth, but doesn't get too technical while still bringing out technical and interesting facts about the aircraft and it's build and production elements. Historically interesting and shows the innovation of our early jet engineering prowess has a nice human touch, when bringing in direct quotations, dialogues and accounts from people who flew and built this fantastic aircraft I am sure I will read this book again as I am sure I have missed interesting facts and figures. What I do know though without a shadow of a doubt, is that I wish I had been around when it was in service to fly in this magnificent piece of British engineering. Long live the memory of The the Comet

A very interesting account of one of the cornerstones of the downfall of the British aero industry. well researched and full of technical details.

Interesting, but at times heavy going for the casual reader, book on the trials and tribulations of the development of the Comet, the crashes and its subsequent redemption as a commercial airliner and evolution into the Nimrod.Often seen as a typical British 'almost' success, this paints a picture of an airliner that actually achieved all it aimed to, never really expecting to dominate the transatlantic routes, but that is always associated with the early problems (and crashes) which actually paved the way for the day to day international jet travel we all take for granted.Lots of really detailed stuff (which instruments the radio operator had in front of him, etc) will probably appeal to the real plane buffs, but is a bit turgid for the casual reader, but persevere, because the story of the development, crashes, investigations and tests and resolution of the issues is an interesting one.

I bought this for my dad for Christmas and he really likes it however, he noticed some printing errors and spelling mistakes 😕

Excellent and enthusiastic account of the development and usage of the comet including the technical details of its development and investigations into the infamous crashes. I read it in no time at all as I couldn't put it down. Lots of photos to help along the way. The author writes enthusiastically and patriotically which leads to a very satisfying and entertaining read.

The author’s enthusiasm for his subject cannot be faulted, but sadly his writing skills are not up to the task. When the first paragraph of the introduction uses “it’s” instead of “its” and on the same page, “dissipate” is spelled “dissapate”, you know it is going to be a hard slog. Add to this his fetish for exclamation marks, the whole effect was too amateurishly distracting to take seriously.

A throughout analysis of the plane, its history and variants, unlikely to be surpassed. Printed in high quality paper and full of photographies. Recommended.

I currently have 4 books by Graham M Simons: Lockheed Tristar, Colours In The Sky ( Revised Edition) Olympic Airways and the present book on the Comet. The dust jackets of these books should also have been glossy like the paper used in them.Apart from the predominantly b&w photos there are some 70 color photos ( not all of aircraft) and some 30 excellent drawings including those of the cockpit and the flight engineer, navigator and radio operator's stations being clearly depicted. There are also photos of these panels and two good cutaway drawings of the Comet on pp 200 - 201, though not of Mike Badrocke quality. I reiterate, photos of the cockpit should always be with the crew seats unoccupied, for clarity. There are 8 artworks and 9 pictures of Comet memorabilia. I found just 6 photos familiar and I have 5 books on the Comet.It was interesting to note that the Comet still retained a feature carried over from the ocean liners ----- a ship's library.Just how foolproof can a proofreader be? I can well understand and sympathize with the chapter title typos on pp 9 - 17 and pages 249 - 263 inter alia as being the product of a fatigued mind. So far, no one has authored a perfect book where everything is just right and I daresay no one ever will ----- with or without computer technology. If at all that were possible we should have had several such 'perfect ' books by now. Printing errors are inevitable and have shown that they always will be.It was heartbreaking to read of 'American Interest At Last ' on pp 122. I had to grit my teeth and read on, knowing of the tragedies to follow.The style of writing is gripping and holds the interest of the reader.A full 5 stars can be awarded to this book.

I've read several books about the De Havilland Comet, but Graham Simons offering is far and away the best one out there. Although I've also watched numerous documentaries, most regarding the engineering problems that led to several crashes, the illustrations in this book stand out, even more so than what's portrayed in the documentaries.The Comet was the first passenger jetliner, and most certainly an airplane with an outstanding future. Sadly, due to unforeseen pressurization problems that led to the crashes, the fate of the aircraft was sealed well before its time. This book covers all aspects of the aircraft, from the original ideas, to the production, to the water pressurization tank that disclosed the design defect that cost so many people their lives.If you're looking for the definitive book on the first passenger jetliner, than you've come to the right place. The Comet was placed into service several years before the Boeing 707 had even finished its initial testing. This was a stunning aircraft, that was well ahead of its time. Flying in the early 1950's by luxury passenger jet was exclusive to the Comet. It wasn't until October 26, 1958 that Pan American World Airlines would finally introduce the Boeing 707 to passenger service. I have no doubt, had it not been for the structural problems with the Comet, that it would have been just as, or more successful than the long lived 707.By the time that the Comet was retrofitted with new windows and all the pressurization problems were resolved, it was too late for the airline. Sadly, it goes down in the history books as an ill fated aircraft, despite the fact that it was years ahead of its time.If you have even the slightest interest in aviation, I highly recommend this enlightening book. The narrative, combined with the massive illustrations will totally satisfy your curiosity about this aircraft.

It could be written better. Lacks proper narration.

A complete and accurate history of Comet.Easy to read, full of interesting pictures a mine of information about aviation world.Strongly recommended.