De Havilland DH88 Comet (1934)
The de Havilland DH.88 Comet was a twin-engined British aircraft designed for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race. Three examples took part in the race and one of them won it. The type set many aviation records during the race and afterwards, as a pioneer mail plane. The modern features and clean lines of the DH.88, especially in the striking colours of Grosvenor House (shown here), the race winner, make it a true design classic.
Three orders were indeed received, and de Havilland set to work. The airframe consisted of a wooden skeleton clad with spruce plywood, with a final fabric covering on the wings. A long streamlined nose held the main fuel tanks, with the low-set and fully glazed central two-seat cockpit faired into an unbroken line to the tail. The wings were of a thin cantilever monoplane design for high-speed flight, and as such would require stressed-skin construction to achieve sufficient strength. While other designers were turning to metal to provide this extra strength, de Havilland took the unusual approach of increasing the strength of all-wood construction. De Havilland achieved the skin profile using many thin, shaped pieces set side by side, and then overlaid in the manner of plywood. This was made possible only by the recent discovery of high-strength synthetic bonding resins and its success took many in the industry by surprise.
The engines were uprated versions of the standard Gipsy Six, being tuned for best performance with a higher compression ratio. The DH.88 could maintain altitude up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m) on one engine. The propellers were two-position variable pitch, manually set to fine before takeoff using a bicycle pump and changed automatically to coarse by a pressure sensor. The main undercarriage retracted upwards and backwards into the engine nacelles, while the tailskid did not retract. Later examples and rebuilds would feature a castoring tail wheel.
The DH.88 might have been the only wooden British high-performance monoplane, but for a shortage of metal for aircraft construction during the Second World War. Experience with the DH.88 would later be put to use in designing the DH.98 Mosquito, also a twin-engined monoplane of wooden construction. The Mosquito was not simply the 1935 proposal revisited but was a much bigger and more powerful aircraft powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines delivering over twice the power of the Gipsy Sixes.
Grosvenor House:-
The scarlet G-ACSS was the property of Mr A.O.Edwards and was named Grosvenor House after the hotel which he managed. The crew were C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black. When the Mollisons ran into problems at Karachi, Scott and Campbell Black took over the lead and were first into Allahabad. Despite a severe storm over the Bay of Bengal they reached Singapore safely, eight hours ahead of the DC-2.
They took off for Darwin, but over the Timor Sea lost power in the port engine when the oil pressure dropped to zero. Repairs at Darwin got them going again, although continuing oil warnings caused them to fly the last two legs with one engine throttled back. Their lead was unassailable despite this, and after the final mandatory stop and more engine work at Charleville they flew on to cross the finish line at Flemington Racecourse (in Melbourne) at 3.33 p.m. (local time) on 23 October. Their official time was 71 hours 18 seconds.
Also named 'Comet' was the Ford Motor Company's 'Intermediate' model under the Mercury marque. Though considered an intermediate, the Comet was in many ways, just a long wheelbase compact, based on the Falcon. The 1964 model update was enlarged from the first generation 1960-63 model, and replaced the unsuccessful Mercury Meteor (based on the Ford Fairlane) in the intermediate segment.
The performance model sub-series was known as 'Cylone', and was equipped with the V8 engine. A small number of 50 light-weight Cyclones fitted with the 427 race motor were built, and fielded in the A/FX category in Stock Car Racing.
The Comet model would remain on as Mercury's intermediate until the end of 1969. The name was reused for the Mercury twin of the compact Ford Maverick in 1971 through to 1977.
The de Havilland DH88 Comet (1934) and Mercury Comet Cyclone Hardtop Coupe (1964) featured here are modelled in Lego miniland-scale for Flickr LUGNuts 79th Build Challenge, - "LUGNuts goes Wingnuts", - featuring automotive vehicles named after, inspired by, or related to aircraft.
De Havilland DH88 Comet (1934)
The de Havilland DH.88 Comet was a twin-engined British aircraft designed for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race. Three examples took part in the race and one of them won it. The type set many aviation records during the race and afterwards, as a pioneer mail plane. The modern features and clean lines of the DH.88, especially in the striking colours of Grosvenor House (shown here), the race winner, make it a true design classic.
Three orders were indeed received, and de Havilland set to work. The airframe consisted of a wooden skeleton clad with spruce plywood, with a final fabric covering on the wings. A long streamlined nose held the main fuel tanks, with the low-set and fully glazed central two-seat cockpit faired into an unbroken line to the tail. The wings were of a thin cantilever monoplane design for high-speed flight, and as such would require stressed-skin construction to achieve sufficient strength. While other designers were turning to metal to provide this extra strength, de Havilland took the unusual approach of increasing the strength of all-wood construction. De Havilland achieved the skin profile using many thin, shaped pieces set side by side, and then overlaid in the manner of plywood. This was made possible only by the recent discovery of high-strength synthetic bonding resins and its success took many in the industry by surprise.
The engines were uprated versions of the standard Gipsy Six, being tuned for best performance with a higher compression ratio. The DH.88 could maintain altitude up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m) on one engine. The propellers were two-position variable pitch, manually set to fine before takeoff using a bicycle pump and changed automatically to coarse by a pressure sensor. The main undercarriage retracted upwards and backwards into the engine nacelles, while the tailskid did not retract. Later examples and rebuilds would feature a castoring tail wheel.
The DH.88 might have been the only wooden British high-performance monoplane, but for a shortage of metal for aircraft construction during the Second World War. Experience with the DH.88 would later be put to use in designing the DH.98 Mosquito, also a twin-engined monoplane of wooden construction. The Mosquito was not simply the 1935 proposal revisited but was a much bigger and more powerful aircraft powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines delivering over twice the power of the Gipsy Sixes.
Grosvenor House:-
The scarlet G-ACSS was the property of Mr A.O.Edwards and was named Grosvenor House after the hotel which he managed. The crew were C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black. When the Mollisons ran into problems at Karachi, Scott and Campbell Black took over the lead and were first into Allahabad. Despite a severe storm over the Bay of Bengal they reached Singapore safely, eight hours ahead of the DC-2.
They took off for Darwin, but over the Timor Sea lost power in the port engine when the oil pressure dropped to zero. Repairs at Darwin got them going again, although continuing oil warnings caused them to fly the last two legs with one engine throttled back. Their lead was unassailable despite this, and after the final mandatory stop and more engine work at Charleville they flew on to cross the finish line at Flemington Racecourse (in Melbourne) at 3.33 p.m. (local time) on 23 October. Their official time was 71 hours 18 seconds.
Also named 'Comet' was the Ford Motor Company's 'Intermediate' model under the Mercury marque. Though considered an intermediate, the Comet was in many ways, just a long wheelbase compact, based on the Falcon. The 1964 model update was enlarged from the first generation 1960-63 model, and replaced the unsuccessful Mercury Meteor (based on the Ford Fairlane) in the intermediate segment.
The performance model sub-series was known as 'Cylone', and was equipped with the V8 engine. A small number of 50 light-weight Cyclones fitted with the 427 race motor were built, and fielded in the A/FX category in Stock Car Racing.
The Comet model would remain on as Mercury's intermediate until the end of 1969. The name was reused for the Mercury twin of the compact Ford Maverick in 1971 through to 1977.
The de Havilland DH88 Comet (1934) and Mercury Comet Cyclone Hardtop Coupe (1964) featured here are modelled in Lego miniland-scale for Flickr LUGNuts 79th Build Challenge, - "LUGNuts goes Wingnuts", - featuring automotive vehicles named after, inspired by, or related to aircraft.