The cocooned fuselage of G-AOJT/F-BGNX, present at Farnborough since August 1956 and cocooned since late 1957. Removed to the de Havilland Heritage Museum, London Colney on 20th March 1985. Preserved there as F-BGNX.

This Comet first flew in May 1953 and delivered to Air France. In April 1954 the Comet's Certificate of Airworthiness was revoked and the type grounded. This plane was returned to the UK in June 1956 using the registration G-AOJT and it became the back up airframe for the pressure tests carried out in a water tank at RAE Farnborough. In the end it was not required and so remained cocooned until it was acquired by the museum in 1985. This fuselage is the only surviving Comet to have the original square windows and is, therefore, extremely significant.

This 1A was originally ordered as one of two for Canadian Pacific and first flew in August 1952 as CF-CUM. The fatal loss of its sister ship at Karachi on its delivery flight in March 1953 meant that CPA cancelled the contract and CF-CUM went instead to BOAC as G-ANAV, being their only 1A but was also being operated by SAA. Following the Comet accidents, G-ANAV was used for testing at Farnborough as part of the investigation and then scrapped, The nose was saved by the Science Museum and later placed in storage at Wroughton. It has been recently donated to the DH museum.

Eldon Armstrong

Delivered to Air France as F-BGNX in 1953. The type was was grounded in 1954 after a number of crashes and it was stored. Registered as G-AOJT in 1956 and flown to Farnborough for dismantling. The fuselage was stored and cocooned there. It was transported to London Colney in 1985 for preservation.

Air France's first Comet 1A is prepared for delivery at De Havillands factory at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The aircraft was delivered to AF on 12 June 1953. After the Comet crashes it was stored in April 1954 and later became G-AOJT. Its fuselage is preserved at London Colney, Herts.

The cockpit section and fuselage is all that remains of this former Air France Comet. Fortunately these are well taken care of in the Hatfield museum!

This rare squared-window Comet was delivered to Air France in June 1953, but withdrawn very quickly, following the Comet disaster at Elba in Jan 1954. The aircraft became G-AOJT and ended up at RAE Farnborough for testing. Its fuselage survived, and after many years of cocooned storage, it was acquired by the museum in March 1985 and immediately trucked there, arriving on 20 Mar 1985. The Comet still carries its original Air France colours as F-BGNX. The all-silver cockpit section dates back to July 1999, when it was painted to resemble the all-silver Comet prototype G-5-1 for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Comet's first flight.

Taken at Le Bourget Airport soon after delivery on 7 July 1953. After some service it was sold to DH in April 1954 following the Comet crashes. Later G-AOJU and XM829 with A&AEE Boscombe Down. Obtained from DH 50 years ago.