The Comet: Related Stories and Resources
The Related Stories and Resources page is where you can find additional material related to the essay The Comet, by Terence C. Gannon. You can also listen to the original essay on your favourite podcasting platform where it appeared as part of the Not There Yet podcast read by the author. Items below appear in reverse chronological order based on the date of original publication.
Qantas completes “double sunrise” test flight from London to Sydney Reuters, November 14, 2019 by Jamie Freed. At 19 hours and 19 minutes, Qantas’ recently completed ‘research flight’ from London-to-Sidney set a record for time and distance aloft for a commercial airliner. The Grosvenor House flew roughly the same route in 70 hours 54 minutes 18 seconds. While 19 hours is certainly a lot less then 70, keep in mind the Grosvenor House’s winning MacRobertson Air Race flight was 85 years ago. A pretty good argument can also be made that the Qantas route owes an ancestral debt to the gorgeous DH.88 and the brave pilots who flew it. Here is Jamie’s story.
The Comet Vimeo, May 10, 2019 by Terence C. Gannon. The short promotional video for the essay and the podcast episode which can be found on Vimeo.
PSS De Havilland DH88 Comet Racer YouTube, March 26, 2019 by John Woodfield. Another brilliant example of the profilic aeromodeller John Woodfield’s prodigious building and flying skills. Here’s a scale model of the Grosvenor House being flown as a glider without the aid of power. To stay aloft, it it takes advantage of an onshore breeze blowing up a seaside cliff. It’s a testament to the clean airframe designed of the DH.88 that it flies so well in this configuration. Woodfield also produced an outstanding model of the Bugatti 100P, a video of which can be found in The Other Bugatti: Related Stories and Resources.
The de Havilland Aircraft Museum Hertfordshire, England. From their website: “The de Havilland Aircraft Museum’s mission is to preserve and communicate the de Havilland Heritage to ensure that current and future generations of all ages will understand de Havilland’s contribution to innovative British Aviation technology.” Of particular interest in their collection is a DH.88 Comet reproduction which is being brought back to life as the unnamed G-ACSR in British Racing Green belonging to Bernard Rubin.
The Comet Hotel Hatfield, England. Similar to Bremont, below, here’s another example of a modern property looking to capture the intrinsic appeal of the de Havilland DH.88 Comet to establish their brand. In this case, a brand new boutique hotel in Hatfield, England simply called The Comet opening in the Fall of 2019. From their website: “First opened in Hatfield in 1936, our Grade II Listed Art Deco building was named for the locally built de Havilland Comet racing plane. Extensively remodelled and relaunching in 2019, the sky is the limit for the Comet Hotel.”
DH-88 Range Bremont, April 1, 2019. It seems improbable that an airplane which is approaching its 85th birthday would hold a lot of appeal for present day marketers. Nothing could be further from the truth. British luxury watchmaker Bremont uses the iconic de Havilland DH.88 Comet as a marketing touch point for their products. The watch design is such that you can almost visualize the Charles W.A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black wearing them in black & white press photos from 1934.
DH-88 Comet Racer at Shuttleworth Race Day 2018 YouTube |
Welwyn To Waltham Airshow Videos, October 19, 2018. Excerpt form the The Comet: “The Grosvenor House has had a happier life. It was passed through a number of owners’ hands until, in 1965, it finally reached the loving embrace of The Shuttleworth Aircraft Collection located in Bedfordshire, England. After decades of restoration effort, it was made airworthy again and still makes display flights each year. At 85, the old girl still looks pretty good.” And that sound — it literally makes the hair on the back of the neck stand on end.
