De Havilland Comet

Professor Hall had a tank built at RAE which was submerged and subjected to pressure tests

The de Havilland Comet

I have been re-reading the may 2012 issue and should like to offer a few comments. I was an apprentice at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at the time that the problem with the Comet arose.

As I recall it, the problem was referred to Professor Hall, the head of the establishment. He had a tank built at RAE large enough to hold a complete fuselage which was submerged and subjected to pressure tests. The testing revealed that cracks appeared in the corners of the windows.

The movie of Neville Shute's book 'No Highway' was made at that time. The stars were Marlene Dietrich and Jimmy Stewart. A part of the movie was shot on the steps at the side of the testing tank. I remember seeing Ms Dietrich lift her skirt to adjust her stockings before filming. You can imagine the effect on the apprentices and others watching!

Turning to Brian Cowell's letter about jet turbines, I was at Farnborough the day John Derry crashed the DH110 at the show. An engine fell into the crowd and eight people were killed. I phoned my parents (long distance, reversed charge) to let them know that I was not injured.

Don Nott, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

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