de Havilland DH.88 Comet
de Havilland Aircraft Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1934 · light aircraft
The de Havilland DH.88 Comet was a British twin-engine racing aircraft of 1934, purpose-built to win the MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia. Its retractable undercarriage, variable-pitch propellers, and smooth wooden construction represented the state of the art in high-speed design.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Tandem two-seat cockpit under a flush glazed canopy blended into the fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Sleek twin-engine British racing aircraft built for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race
- Retractable undercarriage and variable-pitch propellers — advanced for 1934
- Tandem two-seat cockpit under a flush glazed canopy blended into the fuselage
The very clean, pencil-like fuselage with flush cockpit glazing, twin inline engines in slender nacelles, and tapered wooden wing make it instantly recognisable. Nothing else of the period has such a refined, purpose-built racing appearance.
Specifications
- The de Havilland DH.88 Comet has a length of 13.4 m (44 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 13.72 m (45 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 381 km/h (237 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Only five DH.88s were built, and the type won the MacRobertson Race in a time of 70 hours 54 minutes with pilots C.W.A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black. One aircraft was later used by the French government for route proving over the North Atlantic. The Comet's aerodynamic lessons directly influenced the de Havilland Mosquito.
Variants
All five aircraft were essentially identical; individual aircraft differed only in engine choice (de Havilland Gipsy Six R engines throughout) and internal equipment.
Where you'll see it
Never entered airline or military service in the conventional sense; the five aircraft were privately owned racers and record-breakers.
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