Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat twin-engine racing monoplane

Power Plant:

Two 172 kw (230 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Six R six-cylinder in-line air-cooled engines

Specifications:

History:

The story of the de Havilland DH.88 Comet series of racing aircraft is well known and has been told many times. Suffice to say that the DH.88 racing monoplane was designed for the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race from Mildenhall in Suffolk in England to Melbourne, VIC to commemorate the Victorian Centenary. A total of five of the type was built, three being entered in the race.

The Comet was of all-wood construction throughout, the forward section of the fuselage containing three large fuel tanks, behind which were the two-seats for the pilot and co-pilot/navigator. Special versions of the Gipsy Six engines were installed, driving Ratier two-position propellers. The first of the series G-ACSP (c/n 1994 – ex E.1) flew at Hatfield in Hertfordshire on 8 September 1934, the race commencing on 20 October.

The three aircraft in the race were: G-ACSS (c/n 1996) ‘Grosvenor House’ flown by C W A Scott and T Campbell Black; G-ACSP (c/n 1994) ‘Black Magic’ flown by Amy and Jim Mollison; and G-ACSR (c/n 1995) flown by Owen Cathcart-Jones and Ken Waller. Eventually ‘Grosvenor House’ won the race from the KLM Douglas DC-2 and the Boeing 247 in a time of 70 hrs 54 mins 18 secs, reaching Melbourne via Baghdad in Mesopotamia, Allahabad in India, Singapore, Darwin, NT and Charleville, QLD. Later G-ACSS was taken to, and placed on display in, Martin Place in Sydney, NSW on 12 November 1934 before returning to the United Kingdom.

G-ACSS ‘Grosvenor House’ returned to the United Kingdom by sea, was obtained by the British Air Ministry and was painted silver overall, spending the following years at the Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment at Martlesham Heath in Suffolk. In September 1936 it suffered a heavy landing and the undercarriage collapsed. It was sold as scrap and obtained by Essex Aero Works at Gravesend in Kent, becoming ‘The Orphan’. It was rebuilt and flown over the route of Istres in France to Damascus in Syria and to Paris, France, covering the 6,196 km (3,850 miles) at 315 km/h (196 mph), flown by Flying Officer Arthur Clouston and Flt Lt George Nelson.

Later as ‘The Burberry’ in November 1937, flown by Clouston and Betty Kirby-Green, G-ACSS set a new London to Cape Town, South Africa record. It was then re-named ‘Australian Anniversary’ and in 1938, flown by Clouston and Victor Ricketts, it set 11 records during a 42,320 km (26,297 miles) flight from Croydon, England to Blenheim, New Zealand and return in 10 days, 21 hours 22 mins.

The DH.88 G-ACSS was damaged on take-off at Hatfield at the start of the 1938 King’s Cup Air Race, was repaired but not flown and was placed in open storage at Gravesend. It was moved in 1944 to Salisbury Hall in London Colney and partially restored, being displayed in 1950 at the Festival of Britain. Eventually it ended up at the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden in Bedfordshire in 1965 and, after restoration, flew again in 1987. It has had a number of rebuilds and in 2015 was airworthy again.

In 1985 this DH.88 aircraft, G-ACSS, was brought to Australia and displayed at an aviation event at Mangalore, VIC and other events, being conveyed around by truck but never flew in Australia at that time.

In the 1934 race Owen Cathcart-Jones in G-ACSR came fourth in the speed section, and flew straight back to the United Kingdom with mail and film of the event, setting an out-and-return record of 13 days 6 hours and 38 minutes.

During the 1934 race G-ACSP ‘Black Magic’ was forced to retire with engine trouble at Allahabad in India, was later sold to the Portuguese Government and was named ‘Salazar’. It was stored from 1937 to 1980 when it returned to Hatfield in the United Kingdom and has been under restoration by the Comet Racer Project Group at Derby in Derbyshire.

G-ACSR (c/n 1995), flown by Ken Waller and Maurice Franchomme, left Brussels in Belgium on 20 December 1934 to carry Christmas mail to the Belgian Congo, completing the 14,294 km (8,882 miles) trip to Leopoldville in 44 hours and 29 mins. It was later sold to the French Air Ministry as one of two DH.88 Comets that had been ordered for evaluation for a projected high-speed airmail service across the Atlantic Ocean.

This aircraft (c/n 1995) became F-ANPY in April 1935 and was flown from Croydon, London to Le Bourget, Paris some 330 km (205 miles) in a time of 59 mins. The following month, flown by Jean Mermoz, it set two records on a return flight from Paris to Dakar in Senegal, covering the 4,812 km (2,990 miles) at a speed of 311 km/h (193 mph) out and 335 km/h (208 mph) return. A week later it flew from Paris to Algiers in Algeria at 324 km/h (201 mph).

Two other Comets were built: G-ADEF (c/n 2261) ‘Boomerang’, which in 1935 made a number of record breaking flights in the hands of Tom Campbell Black and J C McArthur; and F-ANPZ (c/n 1999, later changed to 2260) used as a high-speed mail-plane on the Paris to Casablanca, Morocco and to Dakar route.

G-ADEF was completed in July 1935 for Tom Campbell Black and, as mentioned, was named ‘Boomerang’. It was to be used for long-distance return flights from the United Kingdom to Cape Town, New York and Hong Kong. In August that year it set off flown by Black and Gordon McArthur with a view to setting a new out-and-back record to Cape Town, but the attempt was abandoned at Cairo in Egypt. The aircraft was overhauled at Hatfield and set out again in September but ran into severe electrical storms whilst flying from Cairo to Kisumu in Kenya, causing paint to be stripped from the aircraft and power to be lost to both engines. The crew abandoned the aircraft and it crashed into the desert and exploded.

During 1990 a television mini-series entitled ‘The Great Race’ was made in Australia of the 1934 Air Race. Flying scenes were made by using a radio-controlled model of the DH.88 Comet, and using film of the survivor G-ACSS. An Avro Anson (VH-BAF) was used to depict the Boeing 247 that had flown in the race. Full-scale non-flying replicas of ‘Grosvenor House’ (G-ACSS) and ‘Black Magic’ (G-ACSP) were built, the former being fitted with de Havilland Gipsy Queen engines and being able to taxi at high-speed with the tail up.

The ‘Grosvenor House’ (G-ACSS) replica was subsequently exported to Britain where it was placed on display. In 2017-2018 this replica was repainted in the markings of ‘Black Magic’ and placed on display at the de Havilland Aircraft Museum at Salisbury Hall. The ‘Black Magic’ (G-ACSP) replica was later repainted as ‘Grosvenor House’ and for a period placed on display in Victoria but at last report was lying derelict at Tyabb, VIC.

An airworthy replica of ‘Grosvenor House’ (N88XD) was built in the United States, making its first flight late in 1993 powered by two 157 kw (210 hp) de Havilland Gipsy Queen II engines. It has usually been based at the Wings of History Museum at San Martin, California.

Other airworthy replicas have been built and one of these, partly constructed in Canada, was imported to New Zealand in 1999 by the Croydon Aircraft Company. Work on its completion has been undertaken and when restored it is to be based at Mandeville on the South Island.

A replica known as the ‘Green Comet replica’ has been constructed at Derby in Derbyshire in the United Kingdom as a flying replica, the registration G-RCSR being allotted.

Comet replica G-ASCR, built for the ABC TV series, spent many years in the de Havilland Aircraft Museum at London, Codney, UK.  Unlike the original aircraft, it was constructed with a metal airframe and is not airworthy.

Another Comet replica G-ACSB “Black Magic” is under restoration at Derby.