De Havilland Comet 4 Dan-Air Airframe Overhaul Manual – Volume One
An original De Havilland Technical Service airframe overhaul manual for the De Havilland Comet 4, produced for Dan-Air engineering use. The manual is dated 1969 and incorporates revision pages extending through to 1973, providing an authentic record of maintenance procedures and engineering updates made during the operational life of the aircraft.
This is an original airline engineering manual and not a modern reprint, photocopy or facsimile. Publications of this type were produced in relatively small numbers for airline maintenance departments and licensed overhaul facilities and were never intended for public sale. Surviving examples are therefore considerably scarcer than pilot manuals or commercially published aviation books.
The binder is clearly marked Volume One. Unfortunately I do not know how many volumes originally comprised the complete overhaul manual and I do not possess any of the companion volumes.
Contents
Following the introductory material, this volume contains the following principal ATA chapters:
- 13 – Standard Practices (Airframe)
- 21 – Air Conditioning
- 22 – Auto Pilot
- 23 – Communications
- 24 – Electrical Power
- 25 – Equipment & Furnishings
- 26 – Fire Protection
Section 25 (Equipment & Furnishings) is the largest section within this volume and includes detailed maintenance information relating to emergency equipment, the flight compartment including pilot and crew seating, control pedestal assemblies, passenger seating and associated cabin furnishings.
Historical Importance
The De Havilland Comet occupies a unique place in aviation history as the world's first successful commercial jet airliner. Although early structural failures led to a complete redesign, the later Comet 4 became a reliable and respected aircraft that served airlines around the world for many years. Dan-Air subsequently became one of the principal operators of the type in the United Kingdom, making original engineering documentation from its fleet an important part of British civil aviation history.
Original maintenance documentation of this nature is seldom encountered outside specialist aviation collections, museums, airline archives and former engineering departments. It provides a fascinating insight into the engineering standards, maintenance philosophy and operational practices employed during the formative years of the commercial jet age.
Condition
This manual has clearly seen genuine workshop use during its working life and remains in honest, original condition. The binder shows signs of age and handling entirely consistent with an engineering reference manual that was intended to be used rather than displayed. Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.
There is a noticeable odour of nicotine when the pages are turned. Under normal circumstances I would attempt to reduce this using ozone treatment, but I do not believe such treatment would be appropriate for a manual of this age and construction. It has therefore been left completely original.
I also have a small number of other De Havilland Comet items listed separately, including engine documentation and aircraft log books, although I do not have any additional overhaul manual volumes.
Additional Information
This original De Havilland Technical Service publication is likely to interest collectors of De Havilland aircraft documentation, Dan-Air memorabilia, British civil aviation history, aerospace engineering archives, aircraft restoration projects, aviation museums, airline engineering publications and original maintenance manuals. It will also appeal to former aircraft engineers, aviation historians and researchers interested in the development and maintenance of one of the world's most historically significant commercial aircraft. As an authentic workshop document produced for operational use, it represents a rare survival from the pioneering era of commercial jet transport and is very different from the pilot handbooks and general aviation books that are more commonly encountered.
