June 2004 - Issue 6
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The History of Commercial Aviation
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Commercial Aviation Timeline
British
Overseas Airways Corporation begins the world's first commercial jetliner
service with the de Havilland DH 106 Comet 1. The 36-seat passenger jet
flies from London, England to Johannesburg, South Africa, at speeds up to
500 miles per hour. Airlines around the world quickly beat a path to de Havilland's door.
A de Havilland Comet departing from Rome plunges into the ocean killing all 29 passengers and six crew members. Three months later, another Comet bursts apart in flight. An exhaustive investigation reveals the Comet's fatal weakness -- metal fatigue.
A TWA Super constellation and a United Airlines DC-7 collide 21,000 feet over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 people aboard both planes. This disaster, the worst in U.S. history up to this point, leads to new safety measures and the establishment of the Federal Aviation Agency.
The
newly redesigned Comet 4 premieres with service between London and New York.
De Havilland's new jet, though, can only accommodate 67 passengers, while
the forthcoming Boeing 707 could seat 111. Britain loses its dominance in
commercial aviation to the Americans.
Boeing's
first jetliner, the 707, makes its inaugural flight for
Pan Am, traveling
from New York to Paris with 111 passengers. Boeing takes the lead in
manufacturing passenger jets as commercial airlines discover that jets are
more reliable and profitable than piston-driven planes.
French aircraft manufacturer, Sud Aviation, delivers the Caravelle to Air France. Innovative in its design, the Caravelle is the first commercial jetliner to have its two jet engine positioned at the rear of the aircraft. The design proves successful for sometime until
Douglas Aircraft enters the jet manufacturing competition with its first jetliner, the DC-8, which begins commercial service for both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.