Comet to fly ?

Did someone ask for a flying Comet? How’s about two?

From this thread a while back.

More info in the thread.

Ahh, De Havilland! I remember it well – 29th July 1992. I shared this trip with James and made Aircraft Illustrated’s front cover in October 1992 + article and more photos inside, if anyone has that issue.

I wish I could help out the lads at Brunty but the commute “Ottawa to Brunty” would be a challenge 😉

You mentioned that you had three different types of Avon engines on her…are they different Mk’s and any idea how she came to have this setup?

Yes… Ottawa is a bit far, but anyone else is most welcome..

Engine fit…..Two genuine 5xx series, One 3xx series, and one 5xx that is fabled as a test/development engine that was , I am given to believe, given to Boscombe to test and they stuck it in Canopus and there it stayed ’till we got it….. unless anyone knows different??

Thanks to 320psi and Appologies to the other groups on Bruntingthorpe, but I wasn’t totally sure I knew all the owners so I avoided the chance of error..

😮 😮 😮

.

I wish I could help out the lads at Brunty but the commute “Ottawa to Brunty” would be a challenge 😉

You mentioned that you had three different types of Avon engines on her…are they different Mk’s and any idea how she came to have this setup?

Did someone ask for a flying Comet? How’s about two?

From this thread a while back.

More info in the thread.

Yes they have done well to keep her in running condition..given that it has been almost eight since her last flight….

Anyone know who looks after all the live airframes at Brunty these days…they have quite a collection..

Hi as is noted above some of the airframes are looked after by the Coldwar jets crew, the other runners on site are owned and looked after by the following:
Lightnings – XS904 & XR728 Lightning preservation group
JP’s – Phoneix avaition group and Rob Blood
Bucc – XX894 Guy Hulme and team
Camberra – WT333 Rodger Wintle and team

Cheers
LPG

Yes they have done well to keep her in running condition..given that it has been almost eight since her last flight….

Anyone know who looks after all the live airframes at Brunty these days…they have quite a collection..

COMET CANOPUS
The only Comet to move under her own power anywhere in the world.

Many thanks for your kind words..

We do our best with limited time and resources…. Last open day we were concentrateing on servicability rather than prettyfication, but next open day we will try and spruce her up a bit.

Spotty M Driver….. As to the “rot” down the backend, unless you ‘ve found something we don’t know about, this is only surface corrosion which will be easily removed…. care to come and help….. everybody welcome.. no special skills required.

As regards flight…. as was said elsewhere, she will never fly again, due to..
1] Climatic deteriation because she is outside all the time…..
2] ATC Lasham reliquished all interest in the airframe a number of years ago…..
3] BAe have stated they will not give design support (However, they did save her and delivered her to us)….
4] She carries THREE different models of Avon engine…..
5] A Nimrod undercarriage….
6] All the other Boscombe mods…. therefore no way…

We never see these days, anyone from the return to flight project team….. Air Pagents was it????

The Cold War Collection (ex-BAH) Volunteers have direct responsibillity for Comet Canopus, Victor Teasin’ Tina, Buccaneer XX900, Swiss Hunter, Polish Iskra.

As I said we are always looking for new idio… sorry volunteers to come and help keep these old birds running, got any Sundays spare????

Canopus’s Crew 😮 😮

Just thought of something else…we are going to run (hopefully) No2 engine this Sunday morning… I’m checking the engine fire warning cct.

😡 😡 😡

Yes they have done well to keep her in running condition..given that it has been almost eight since her last flight….

Anyone know who looks after all the live airframes at Brunty these days…they have quite a collection..

Looking over her at the last open day, she looks grotty, could do with a decent scrub, but i guess the guys do their best. Also having a look inside, it was obvious thee is a lot of rot down in the back galley area. Doesn’t help that she is not hangared. Flying again is a pipe dream. Glad the guys manage to blast her up n down the runway once in a while !!

Ex Spotty M Driver.

The Comet at Brunty is a pretty low hour airframe 8,281hrs but part of the reason to stop flying her was that she had a major overhaul pending….I read that she was subject to higher stress loads that your average Comet..in that many of her hours were low altitude etc…

First flight 09/26/63
Last flight 10/30/97

Some years ago there was talk of the Comet at Brunty being made airworthy, im just wondering that from a technical point of view would this be possible at present, and am I right in thinking the CAA may object due to the Comet being modified at Boscome Down ?

I was thinking about this Project a few days ago and was wondering whether anyone knew anything here, You beat me to posting Andrewman, I was under the impression that maybe she will not fly again as things went so quiet about her, I really would love to see her in the Skies again as the Comet is very much a Historic Aircraft that should be remembered.

Anyone know how modified she is?, I was told before she is nearer to a Nimrod than to Comet 4, Is this true?.

I have never seen the Comet at Brunty taxi…does she do a fast taxi like I have seen the Victor do in the past? Also anyone know how often the aircraft is ground run? It must be a challenge keeping her serviceable given British climate!

I think there are a whole number of technical problems with re-certifying the Comet.

It was extensively modified from the basic Comet 4 design, and so is very different from the Comets that plied the airways with BOAC, Dan Air and others. This aircraft was built for the Ministry of Supply, and was never an airliner as such, so never came under the civil type certificate.

I suspect that if it had been an ex Airline, unmodified Comet, that a way round the problem would have been found by now.

Still, it is in good hands. Thank god it was never delivered to Hatfield, as was our original plan, or it would be saucepans by now.

Bruce

The lasy I heard was that BAE would not release the desgin plans to ATC Lasham, so the project has stalled. Also the Brunty Comet has Nimrod u/c, which makes life complicated so I have been told!