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.

Delivered to RAF Transport Command in September 1956, serving 216 Squadron and named "Perseus". Converted to 2R for reconnaissance and redelivered to 51 Squadron in March 1963. Retired in December 1974 and displayed at Duxford until broken up in 1992.

The prototype Comet 1 which first flew on 27 July 1949. It wears the "Speedbird" symbol of the launch customer, BOAC, on its nose. From DH Aircraft 60 years ago.

Ex Mexicana XA-NAT, in derelict condition. Was sold to Westernair of Albuquerque in Apr 1973 and registered as N777WA a year later, but this registration was never painted on the aircraft. It was ultimately dismantled at Mexico City in the 1980s and trucked to the Parque Hidalgo de Irapuato in Irapuato, which became the Parque Zoológico Irapuato in Apr 1993. The aircraft remained on display there until scrapped in March 2015.

Mexicana's XA-NAT was stored at MEX from Dec 1970 and became N777WA in May 1973, but this was never painted on the aircraft. Bought by Redmond Air in Nov 1979 (along with N888WA now preserved at Everett, and N999WA, scrapped at Chicago) with the intention of forming a club to fly gamblers to Las Vegas. This one remained derelict at the airport right through the 1980s (note the Dan-Air wing tank). It was moved to Irapuato Zoo where it clung onto life in an increasingly poor state until scrapped in March 2015. Sad to think of such a rare and iconic aircraft succumbing to the breakers so recently, some 55 years after first entering service.

An attempt to fly from Southend to Chivenor for the NATO Day in Auster G-AMFP took us overhead Lasham. Due to headwinds we never made it to Devon... this dodgy shot was taken with a 400mm hanging out in the slipstream. The 1959-build Comet was reduced to spares by Dan-Air by 3.73, while their Ambassador (G-ALZO) ultimately went on to be superbly restored at Duxford. Soon after this, it became the only survivor of the type in the world with the scrapping of G-ALZP at West Malling

Delivered in 4.62 and just touching down on 10L, here is the last of five Comet C.4s, which would carry on in service with 216 Sqn till 7.75. Joined Dan-Air's big Comet fleet as G-BDIX and operated till wfu in 10.80. Flown from Lasham to East Fortune for the Museum of Flight in 9.81, making the last ever civilian flight by the type

First flew at Hatfield in 4.58, to BEA 12.59, operated the airline's last scheduled Comet service on 31.10.71 AGP-LHR and scrapped at Heathrow 7.72

To Dan-Air G-BDIU