Flight Test Hanger, Comet Way, Hatfield, Hertfordshire
These buildings were the flight hangar, offices, fire station and control tower for the de Havilland Comet aeroplane. The main hangar was built in 1952-3, the offices and tower were completed in 1954. In 1941-2 the aeroplane manufacturers de Havilland began to develop a jet engine, the Goblin. Their prime interest, however, was in civil aviation, and in 1946 they designed the world's first jet passenger liner, the Comet. Filling a gap in the market, and seen as the future of British aviation, sixteen were ordered as early as 1947. The first commercial service was in May 1952. Between 1953-4 three Comets exploded in the sky, and 111 people were killed. After further testing in this hangar the problem-free Comet 4 was inaugurated in 1958 - just ahead of the Boeing 707. Architecturally the Comet hangar was the most sophisticated example of aluminium construction, and was also the world's largest permanent aluminium structure at the time.
