De Havilland at 100
Tony Buttler delves into the story of de Havilland’s radical ‘bat jet’ – including tragic deaths, famous names, records and possibly the biggest first in British aviation. But was it all worth it?
Aviation giant de Havilland first flew what became Britain’s second operational jet fighter – the Vampire – in 1943. It was, therefore, no surprise to find the company spearheading development work to obtain the utmost performance from what was then a new form of propulsion. The de Havilland DH.108 was one of the first British research aircraft to complement the jet engine with advanced aerodynamics, such as a swept wing, and the shunning of horizontal stabilisers. It was built purely as a test machine, with the resulting data being made available for later use in both military and civilian designs.
Initially, the type was conceived to exclusively support the firm’s revolutionary DH.106 Comet, then undergoing development at its Hatfield facility in Hertfordshire. When the drawings for what would become the world’s first jet airliner were initially started, one of the proposals included a tailless configuration. In a huge step away from so-called traditional methods, a half-scale proof of…
