The Way It Used To Be...

by ANN Correspondent Evan Sweetman

A unique aircraft on display at Oshkosh 2007 was the deHavilland DH88 Comet. While it is a replica, it is the only flying representation of the aircraft in the world.

It is not the four-engine commercial airliner most people think of when the deHavilland Comet. It's a replica of the 1934 racer that won the MacRobertson Trophy. The race was from England to Australia.

The 12 year old replica is based at the Wings of History Museum based at Flabob Airport. The aircraft and airport are owned by the Tom Wathen Foundation.

In 1934 the Comet was the hottest aircraft flying, according to owner Tom Wathen. At the time it was the only aircraft with flaps, retractable gears, and a propeller with pitch control. Its two Gypsy Queen II R six-cylinder engines meant it was fast too. Five DH-88s were built.

"You get what you ask for" pilot Robin Reid said of flying the Comet. "The hardest part of flying it is from 200ft to the ground on landing, because you can't see the ground since the nose is so high and it can tip-stall at the last minute. You can barely even see in front of you on level flight. Flying blind is an understatement. You're flying blind even on final approach up to the second before landing. Once it's on the ground though, it's a kitten."

Reid, who is rated on nearly 300 types of aircraft, said "she's tough to fly, but I don't consider her Gee-Bee hard... She doesn't like cross-winds either. If I have to land in a cross-wind I'll throttle back one of the engines to balance the power. The props don't feather, they've got pitch control, but you can only set that during flight, you can't reset it until you land."

It will do about 200kts on its two Gypsy Queen II engines, each providing 210hp. The engines are in an inverted six-cylinder configuration which is a trademark of the early deHavilland aircraft.

The Comet was built by the late Bill Turner of Repeat Aircraft.

The MacRoberston Trophy race began at Mildenhall Air Force Base, a US Army Air Force base in England. The first stop was Baghdad, Iraq, and continued through Allahabad, India; Singapore; Darwin, Charleville, and finally Melbourne.

The original is on display at the Shuttleworth Museum at Old Warden Aerodrome in Biggleswade, England.

The purse which came with the trophy was GBP10,000; which C.W.A. Scott and T. Campbell Black won.

The Comet will be flying at Oshkosh, though Wathen and Reid were unsure of when that will be happening.

FMI: www.flabob.org