THOUSANDS SEE R.A.F. COMET AT HAREWOOD

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28269, 6 May 1957, Page 10

THOUSANDS SEE R.A.F. COMET AT HAREWOOD

More than 5500 persons yesterday went to Christchurch airport and walked over the thick pile of the Royal blue carpet laid on the passenger deck of the Royal Air Force Transport Command Comet jet airliner. They were making an interior inspection of the plane, the first of its type in the South Island. Many thousand more, unable to have a look inside even though the aircraft was open for twice as long as originally intended, contented themselves with having a close look from the outside. Those who waited for more than an hour in the queue which straggled across the field climbed the metal steps and ducked through the afterdoor at the rate of one person every three seconds and a half. The Mark II Comet is the costliest, and one of the heaviest, aircraft ever to lanu in the Dominion. It arrived at Harewood soon after midday on Saturday. The value of the plane, according to the transport com-mander-in-chief who was aboard (Air Marshal Sir Andrew McKee) is £1,200,000

Because of its weight bearing on individual axles of 10 wheels the Comet remained on the strengthened taxiway and did not park on the tarmac or grass. Although its all-up weight was less, its isolated wheel loadings were greater than those of the American 80-ton Globemaster transports- using Harewood during the summer.

The Comet is an intercontinental military passenger and freight plane used by the Royal Air Force for high-speed operations. It has in the last two weeks flown over the route between Britain and Singapore as a preliminary to a 24-hour service to be inaugurated by the air force next month. The service will be extended to Adelaide, near the Woomera missile testing range. Compelled tu fly on the Civil Aviation Administration’s airways pattern on Saturday, the Comet had to keep to 8000 ft. It took an hour and 20 minutes for its 270mile flight—a distance it could have covered in half the time. Because of its low altitude its four engines gulped twice as much

fuel as usual—more than 1300 gallons of kerosene for the flight. Party Welcomed

After the Comet had landed at Harewood bn Saturday, Air Marshal Sir Andrew McKee, followed down the gangway by Lady McKee, was met by Group Captain T. D. De Lange, officer commanding the R.N.Z.A.F. station, Wigram, and the official party quickly got into waiting cars to drive across the field to the overseas terminal building. Waiting in the lounge to meet them were relatives and friends from Oxford and other parts of Canterbury. They were also introduced to Mr J. R. Maling, chairman of the Christchurch branch of the Air League, and the secretary (Mr A. G. Lester). The jet had barely rolled to a stop on Jhe taxi-way before the crowds watching from the roadside began to melt away. Under the grey skies there was no holiday atmosphere, and little more to see.

The fuel pumped into the Comet at Harewood over the week-end was from stocks imported by .an oil company specially for National Airways Corporation Viscounts, the first of which will Come into service in December. The supplies for the Comet were bought by the R.N.Z.A.F. and given to R.A.F. Transport Command.