Today we go back into history by almost 70 years and discuss three different crashes of the de Havilland Comet that happened in 1953 and 1954.  These crashes changed not only the way airplanes were manufactured, but also increased our understanding of metal fatigue. And it’s why we have circular windows in airplanes these days, and how Boeing became the dominant aircraft manufacturer for decades.

As always, you can download the episode here, find us on iTunes, Stitcher, and I Heart Radio or listen on the embedded player below.

Sources:

• Wikipedia: BOAC Flight 781, BOAC Flight 783, South African Airways Flight 201
• US Federal Aviation Administration: Lessons Learned G-ALYV, Lessons Learned G-ALYP
• BBC News: On This Day
• FlightGlobal: Flight, June 19th, 1953
• The Aviation History Online Museum: Boeing 707
• This Day in Aviation: 10 January 1954
• BBC: The Crashes That Changed Plane Designs Forever