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de Havilland DH.108 (Swallow)

1946 COLD WAR X-PLANE

De Havilland DH. 108 (Swallow) Stories

Elegant - if deadly - de Havilland DH. The 108 Swallow was one of the most important research aircraft in British aviation in the 1940s and early 1950s.

This aircraft was not designed or developed for any specific military fighter requirements, it was actually intended to study supersonic flight and swept wings in relation to the de Havilland DH. 106 "Comet" jetliner program. The Comet became the world's first passenger jet, but its own problems limited its overall range -- leaving rivals with a large chunk of the market. Research-oriented DH. The 108 was a dangerous aircraft in its own right, claiming the lives of three test pilots in separate aircraft losses, contaminating the Swallow program forever.

Despite the unfortunate setback, DH. The 108 proved crucial to advancing the UK's understanding of swept wings, jet-powered flight, and supersonic speed and control.

The

Comet aircraft was a program promoted by British authorities at the end of World War II to provide a commitment to the local aviation industry long after fighting had ceased. The Comet will be a passenger-oriented turbojet design with a tailless configuration and an advanced swept monoplane wing assembly.

The indictment fell on well-known concern de Havilland, who used its DH. Starting from the 108 platform, complete the scientific research aircraft. The smaller, single-seat airframe will mimic many of the qualities of the full-size Comet and will be used to test various control conditions at supersonic speeds.

The Air Force asked for a pair of prototypes, and the name "Swallow" was simply affixed to the plane by the Supply Department and was never officially adopted.

Additional testing revealed some problems in certain conditions, proving that this aircraft is a minority even for the most experienced pilots. To compensate for the difficulty of running and landing on the ground, the undercarriage of the "Sea Vampire" - a navalized variant of the land-based Vampire - was installed.

His career in air combat was short-lived, as the test pilot died when the plane spun and lost during a stall attempt on May 1, 1950. While in the air, the TG283 has a top speed of about 350 miles per hour.

The TG306 became the second aircraft in the triad, this version introduced retractable slats over the fixed wooden Handley Page slats seen on the TG283. Power is provided by a de Havilland Goblin 4 turbojet with 3,500 pounds of thrust. Its first flight was in June 1946, and the improved performance led the plane to attempt to break the world airspeed record (held by rival Gloster Meteor at 616 mph). TG283 faced some adjustments during the test flight, but the previous test flight ended with the plane losing control again, disintegrating in flight and killing pilot Geoffrey de Havilland Jr. on September 27, 1946. , Jr.).

While in the air, the TG283 recorded a top speed of 580 mph - although this was achieved on a single dive.

Department of Health. Program 108 then introduced the final vehicle, the VW120 - largely influenced by the TG306 model and its problems. First flown on July 24, 1947, the design now features an ejection seat for the pilot and an improved cockpit and forward fuselage. Additional reinforcement has been added to the structure to help avoid the flaws of the previous brand in the collection.

Servo-assisted wing surfaces and controls attempt to take some of the pilot's fatigue away. Power now comes from a de Havilland Goblin 5 turbojet with 3,600 pounds of thrust.

The plane later became the first British-designed aircraft to break the sound barrier, which was accomplished in a steep dive on 6 September 1948, with an official speed record of Mach 1.02. During the dive, the pilot lost control of the aircraft but was able to regain it.

On another flight on 15 February 1950, the VW120 was lost during mid-flight disintegration. Despite the availability of the ejection seat, the pilot got lost in the plane, ending the turbulent DH. 108 research programs.

The plane proved both beautiful and deadly by 1940s standards, with clean lines and a certain simplicity. While the dh 106 airliner finally came online, it also suffered a sordid record of three planes disintegrating in flight. Losses and publicity have undoubtedly hurt sales, and companies like Boeing are more than willing to grab market share.

Nevertheless, the Comet, introduced in 1952, achieved a long service life with only 114 examples completed. They are in service with a handful of carrier-based aircraft, and the last Comet was decommissioned in March 1997.

The comet also formed the basis of the RAF Hawksidley 'Nimrod' maritime patrol platform - which itself was not decommissioned until 2011.

The finished comet shape is accomplished by a conventional fin with a single vertical fin and a low-set horizontal plane. However, it has a swept airfoil, the placement of all the main and tail units and their engine air intakes is similar to the swallow design, the profile at the wing root is nice and looks like part of the wing assembly itself.