Editing De Havilland Comet (section)

====Square window myths====
[[File:Comet 1 windows.png|thumb|Surviving DeHavilland Comet 1 showing rectangular windows with rounded corners not 'square' as commonly described.]]

Despite findings of the Cohen Inquiry, a number of myths have evolved around the cause of the Comet 1's accidents. Most commonly quoted are the 'square' passenger windows. While the report noted that stress around fuselage cut-outs, emergency exits and windows was found to be much higher than expected due to DeHavilland's assumptions and testing methods<ref>Cohen Report P 26 – para 118-123</ref> the passenger windows shape has been commonly misunderstood and cited as a cause of the fuselage failure. In fact the mention of 'windows' in the Cohen report's conclusion, refers specifically to the origin point of failure in the ADF Antenna cut-out 'windows', located above the cockpit, not passenger windows.<ref>Report of the Court of Inquiry into the Accidents to Comet G-ALYP on 10th January 1954 and Comet G-ALYY on 8th April 1954-HM Stationery Office 1955-p 20 – para 78-79</ref> The shape of the passenger windows were not indicated in any failure mode detailed in the accident report and were not viewed as a contributing factor. A number of other pressurised airliners of the period including the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, Douglas DC-7, and DC-8 had larger and more 'square' windows than the Comet 1, and experienced no such failures.<ref name=autogenerated1>The DeHavilland Comet Disaster – Aerospace Engineering – Paul Withey Professor of Casting at the University of Birmingham School of Metallurgy – Video presentation retrieved 30NOV22</ref> In fact, the Comet 1's window general shape resembles a slightly larger Boeing 737 window mounted horizontally. They are rectangular ''not square'', have rounded corners and are within 5% of the radius of the Boeing 737 windows and virtually identical to modern airliners.<ref name=autogenerated1/> Paul Withey, Professor of Casting at the University of Birmingham School of Metallurgy states in a video presentation delivered in 2019, analysing all available data that: "The fact that DeHavilland put oval windows into later marks, is not because of any 'squareness' of the windows that caused failure."<ref>The deHavilland Comet Disaster – Aerospace Engineering - Paul Withey Professor of Casting at the University of Birmingham School of Metallurgy – Video presentation retrieved 30NOV22 Time stamp 42:07</ref> "DeHavilland went to oval windows on the subsequent Marks because it was easier to Redux them in (use adhesive) – nothing to do with the [[stress concentration]] and it's purely to remove rivets." (from the structure)<ref>The DeHavilland Comet Disaster – Aerospace Engineering – Paul Withey, Professor of Casting at the University of Birmingham School of Metallurgy – Video presentation retrieved 30NOV22 Time stamp 58:27</ref>

Surviving Comet 1s can be seen on view at the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands and the De Havilland Museum at Salisbury Hall, London Colney.