Dronescapes
Senior Airman
Jet Age History: Successes And Failures. The De Havilland Comet was the First Passenger Jet Airliner.
View: https://youtu.be/ZbOofEaFAHs
View: https://youtu.be/ZbOofEaFAHs
Jet Age History: Successes And Failures. The De Havilland Comet was the First Passenger Jet Airliner
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GreenKnight121
Staff Sergeant
- 770
- Mar 16, 2014
Barely... if you are talking purposed-designed jet airliners* - its first flight was on 27 July 1949.
The AVRO Canada C-102's first flight was on 10 August 1949. That 4-engined** regional jetliner flew well, and garnered orders from National Airlines (US), TWA (negotiating for a 30-aircraft order), and the USAF (funds allocated for 20). Trans-Australia Airlines expressed "strong interest", and the RCAF actually ordered 2! A number of other airlines expressed interest in orders IF the type saw "substantial orders".
Unfortunately, the same month as the RCAF order was placed the Canadian government ordered the project canceled, so AVRO Canada could concentrate on the CF-100 Canuck all-weather fighter (the start of the Korean Conflict had brought Defense matters to the front of all Canadian government considerations).
Attempts by Convair (pushed by Howard Hughes) to license-build the aircraft in the US were stopped by the US government, also citing "the need to focus on existing military aircraft production", and negotiations for UK production were likewise met with British disapproval, so the Canadian government ordered the program halted in December 1951 and the nearly-completed second prototype scrapped. The sole completed prototype flew until 10 December 1956 as photographical chase-plane for CF-100 trials and tests. The government cut it up on 13 December 1956.
* A partially jet-powered AVRO-UK Lancastrian (Nene turbojets replaced the outer pair of Merlins) flew on 14 August 1946, and it made a flight from London to Paris using only the Nenes on 23 November 1946. A fully jet-powered Vickers Viking (2 Nenes) flew on 6 April 1948, and on 25 July 1948, on the 39th anniversary of Bleriot's crossing of the English Channel, the Nene-Viking flew from Heathrow to Paris Villacoublay in the morning carrying letters to Bleriot's widow and son (secretary of the FAI), who met it at the airport. It then flew back to London in the afternoon.
** 4 RR Derwents for development and testing, 2 Avons planned for production aircraft.
The AVRO Canada C-102's first flight was on 10 August 1949. That 4-engined** regional jetliner flew well, and garnered orders from National Airlines (US), TWA (negotiating for a 30-aircraft order), and the USAF (funds allocated for 20). Trans-Australia Airlines expressed "strong interest", and the RCAF actually ordered 2! A number of other airlines expressed interest in orders IF the type saw "substantial orders".
Unfortunately, the same month as the RCAF order was placed the Canadian government ordered the project canceled, so AVRO Canada could concentrate on the CF-100 Canuck all-weather fighter (the start of the Korean Conflict had brought Defense matters to the front of all Canadian government considerations).
Attempts by Convair (pushed by Howard Hughes) to license-build the aircraft in the US were stopped by the US government, also citing "the need to focus on existing military aircraft production", and negotiations for UK production were likewise met with British disapproval, so the Canadian government ordered the program halted in December 1951 and the nearly-completed second prototype scrapped. The sole completed prototype flew until 10 December 1956 as photographical chase-plane for CF-100 trials and tests. The government cut it up on 13 December 1956.
* A partially jet-powered AVRO-UK Lancastrian (Nene turbojets replaced the outer pair of Merlins) flew on 14 August 1946, and it made a flight from London to Paris using only the Nenes on 23 November 1946. A fully jet-powered Vickers Viking (2 Nenes) flew on 6 April 1948, and on 25 July 1948, on the 39th anniversary of Bleriot's crossing of the English Channel, the Nene-Viking flew from Heathrow to Paris Villacoublay in the morning carrying letters to Bleriot's widow and son (secretary of the FAI), who met it at the airport. It then flew back to London in the afternoon.
** 4 RR Derwents for development and testing, 2 Avons planned for production aircraft.
SaparotRob
Unter Gemeine Geschwader Murmeltier XIII
Were revenue passengers aboard this flight?
GreenKnight121
Staff Sergeant
- 770
- Mar 16, 2014
Wiki clams so... the note is "Flew the first international all-jet passenger flight from London to Paris on 23 November 1946."
The citation linked to that note for aircraft VH742 is for pages 92 & 93 of Franks, Richard A. The Avro Lancaster, Manchester and Lincoln: A Comprehensive Guide for the Modeller. London: SAM Publications, 2000. ISBN 0-9533465-3-6.
The Wiki entry is found here: Avro Lancastrian - Wikipedia
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