Dear Mr Johnson

Quite by chance I came across your Dan Air website and was pleased to see a letter from Captain Bryn Wayt and a photo of Comet 4B G-APYD, now part of the Science Museum’s Air Transport Collection at Wroughton. I was there on 1st November 1979 when it arrived and it was my pleasure to accept it formally on behalf of the Museum from your Managing Director, in person. It was also my pleasure to accept a glass of bubbly from your senior Stewardess who was brought along on the delivery flight to uncork a bottle (or two) to mark the hand-over (I had better note, just in case you mention this to anyone, that senior referred to her service, not age).

At the time I was the Keeper of the Department of Transport at the Museum (not the Museum van but the curatorial collections of cars and trains, boats and planes) and the Curator of the Aircraft Collection was John Bagley. It was John who negotiated the purchase of the Comet and saw that the paperwork records were in good order for the Museum to establish ownership for evermore. John produced facts from the log books to confirm that YD when it arrived at Wroughton had completed 32,728 hours flying time and made its 18,586th and final landing. The last flight in service was from Heraklion to Gatwick on 23rd October. I seem to recall that the flight from Gatwick to Wroughton was intended to be via Lasham where a low pass could give everyone there a last view of it in full flight.

The Comet is now a major exhibit in an interesting fleet of historic airliners at Wroughton. This includes a 1933 de Havilland DH 84 Dragon, a Lockheed 749 Constellation, a Boeing 247D, regarded by many as the first modern airliner, and a Douglas DC-3A, a genuine pre-war DC-3 of 1936. Another veteran airliner, the 1935 Lockheed L 10A Electra, previously at Wroughton, has been taken to South Kensington for display in the Museum. The Wroughton site is open for various outdoor events during the year when the hangars full of Aircraft and other transport exhibits may be open. Visits may be made during weekdays by prior arrangement with the staff. For details about events and visits telephone 01793 814466.

I hope I have not strayed too far from the theme of the Dan Air web site but I hope you may be interested in my notes about other aircraft at Wroughton. If you are short of material for your pages (which I doubt) or if you think that a few of your readers may be interested in my notes, please feel free to cut, edit and paste any of the above.

I’ll be trespassing again on your website to read more about Dan Air although I had no connection with the airline except for the above and some enjoyable flights to Faro and/or Malaga before the golf courses became too crowded. I am sure you know that the punters on these flights knew the airline as Dan Dare.

Yours sincerely

Brian Lacey

Dear Bryn

Something interesting to report about Comet YD shortly after it arrived at Wroughton.

A waxy substance was seen oozing from behind a panel of the luggage rack. Not knowing what semtex or other explosives looked like, John Bagley sent a sample for analysis. Back came the answer - honey. A swarm of bees must have taken up temporary residence when the aircraft was on the ground long enough for this to happen at Athens Airport in 1969.

Any reports, by word of mouth or on paper, about the electrics humming when the aircraft was at rest in a hangar in the middle of the night ?

Regards, Brian Lacey