| Other Comets - by de Havilland and others
The three MacRobertson racers were not the only Comets built by de Havilland's, and they were not the only versions of the aircraft.
First, the company built an extra pair of DH88 aircraft after the race, one for the French government to use on its colonial mail service, and one for a private buyer who wanted to tackle long-distance speed records.
Then the name was resurrected for the aircraft which launched international commercial jet travel, the DH106 Comet. This famous but ultimately ill-fated air liner took the Comet name around the globe and set new standards for speed and luxury in aeroplane travel.
Being the first of its kind, it inevitably ran into problems that no one knew about. In the case of the Comet, metal fatigue caused by pressurised cabins and window designs led to some catastrophic crashes which destroyed the aircraft's reputation.
Even though it had to be retired from public transport service, the Comet found a new life with the RAF - converted to the Nimrod it served many years as a long-distance search-and-rescue aircraft.
But the DH88 has also returned. As well as the restoration of Grosvenor House and the planned rebuild of Black Magic, a flying replica has been built by the Repeat Aircraft Company in California and appears regularly at flying displays in the US.
Model versions of the DH88 abound - from the Airfix plastic kit to home-built flying models.
And with the arrival of computer flight simulators, it is even possible to fly the Comet in desktop comfort and recreate the 1934 race in style.
This 1:72 scale pewter model of Grosvenor House is produced by Diverse Images as part of their historic aircraft range.
Steve Holland with his magnificent flying Comet model. It has a 22ft wingspan, is 14ft 6ins long and weights in at 150lbs. The model took over three years to build. Balsa wood was used whenever possible together with plywood and hardwood spars. The tail, fin, elevator and rudder are all balsa wood, which meant meant that only 7lb of lead ballast was needed in the nose.
Below, close up on the cockpit.
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F-ANPZ, built for the French colonial mail service after its success in the MacRobertson Trophy race
The DH106 Comet airliner
This aircraft is actually a replica built by the Repeat Aircraft company in California. This picture was taken over LA in 1995 by aerial photographer Gordon Bain.
The De Havilland DH88 Comet Air Racer, built to 1/2 scale by Steve Holland from Gloucester, powered by two Zenoah ZG74 2-cylinder 74cc boxer petrol engines. The biplane in the background, is Ted Allison's 1/3rd scale model of the de Havilland Rapide light airliner from the 1930s, examples of which still fly today.
Model designer and builder Alan Hulme with his DH88 model - wingspan is 66" and it weighs in at 4.5lbs. The model is built from balsa and foam.
The Airfix plastic model
Dinky the toy car people produced a Comet in one of their aeroplane ranges.
Fly your own DH88 round the world without leaving the comfort of your desktop, courtesy of flight simulators
Or if your preference is for needlework, there's an embroidery kit
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| Links to other Comets
The Comet Campaign - www.cometcampaign.cjb.net/
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