The de Havilland DH.106 Comet was the first jet airliner. Prototypes first flew in 1949, deliveries of production aircraft began in 1951, and the type entered commercial service in 1952. It was expected to deliver great prestige and prosperity to the postwar British aerospace industry, but the Comet's reputation was badly tarnished by several fatal crashes. About a quarter of the aircraft built were destroyed or written off in accidents. This book by freelance aviation journalist Wolfgang Borgmann provides an account of the type's development and production in the 1940s and then proceeds to describe the technical details and operational histories of all variants, including models 1, 2, 3, and 4. The work features about 250 images, the majority of which are in color. AUTHOR: Wolfgang Borgmann's enthusiasm for aviation was passed on to him by his parents, who were active in the aviation field. In his early years, he began building up an aviation historical collection that provides numerous rare photos and documents, as well as exciting background information, for his books. Since April 2000, Borgmann has been active as an author and freelance aviation journalist. He lives in Oerlinghausen, Germany. His website is www.aerojournalist.de.
