By Bryan Corliss
Herald Writer
The Museum of Flight celebrates the 50th anniversary of commercial jet travel with a series of events this weekend, including an open house at the museum’s restoration center at Paine Field.
The open house will center around efforts to restore the only remaining de Havilland Comet in North America, which is part of the museum’s permanent collection. It will be available for public viewing from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the restoration center, 2909 100th St. SW in Everett.
Other events are a special Comet exhibit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and a panel discussion on the jet from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Both will be at the Museum of Flight, 9494 E. Marginal Way in Seattle.
The museum’s "Comet Weekend" is a both an attempt to draw attention to the restoration project and kick off the aviation community’s international celebration of a half-century of passenger jet service, museum spokesman Craig O’Neill said.
The Comet was the world’s first jet-powered airliner. It entered service in May 1952 — six years before the Boeing 707.
The museum’s plane is a Comet 4C model, a landmark plane in its own right. The Mark 4C was the final version of the Comet, O’Neill said. This particular plane was the first of the 4C model to roll off the de Havilland production line in 1959.
It was delivered to Mexicana Airlines, which used it to launch the first jet service in North America, between Mexico City and Los Angeles.
After Mexicana retired it from service, it changed hands a couple of times. New owners flew it to Paine Field in 1979, but the Federal Aviation Administration grounded it here because its avionics weren’t up to standard, O’Neill said.
Everett Community College used it to train aviation students for a time, but basically it just sat in the rain until the museum bought it in 1994, O’Neill said.
Since then, volunteers have spent thousands of hours working on the plane, much of it corrosion control.
"You know how things get in Washington state when they’re left out in the weather," O’Neill said.
However, restoration of the cockpit, landing gear and flight controls is largely complete, he said. "We really have some beautifully restored pieces to show now."
You can call Herald Writer Bryan Corliss at 425-339-3454
or send e-mail to corliss@heraldnet.com.
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