The Museum of Flight has acquired what's believed to be the last remaining de Havilland Comet jetliner in North America. The Everett Community College Foundation turned the British-made plane over to the Seattle museum recently.
The four-engine Comet was the first jet to enter commercial service, in 1952, five years before the first flight of the Boeing 707. Since 1984, the college's Comet had been used to help train students at the school's aviation facility at Paine Field.Museum of Flight curator Jack Hilliard said the plane will be cleaned and displayed at the museum's Paine Field restoration facility for the time being. Officials hope to eventually bring the plane to the museum at Boeing Field in Seattle - but moving it won't be easy. The plane is not in flying condition and would be difficult to disassemble, Hilliard said.
The Comet is a significant addition to the museum's collection because it "represents a real benchmark change in aviation," he said.
"The industry got shaken up a great deal when the British came out with the Comet," he said.