In early March, the Royal Air Force Museum announced its latest round of airframe disposals, affecting several historically significant aircraft on display at RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford. Among these was the fuselage of the last surviving short-fuselage de Havilland DH106 Comet 1XB, registered G-APAS, which departed Cosford on 9 September for its new home at the South Wales Aviation Museum in St Athan. While the aircraft’s wings were also relocated to Wales, severe corrosion has rendered them unsuitable for reattachment. As a result, the early-configuration Comet will now be displayed solely as a fuselage, marking the end of the aircraft as a complete entity.
Following repeated inquiries, the RAF Museum issued a statement on 16 September explaining the transfer: “The transfer of the Comet out of the RAF Museum’s collection was approved by trustees in January 2025, as part of the museum’s ongoing Collection Review and future display planning. This variant of the Comet was never operated by the RAF and carries a false civilian BOAC livery. The Comet is represented in the museum’s collection by 950 other items, including photographs, archives, film, sound recordings, and fine art. Despite making a national offer for gifting the Comet, no interest was received. The museum therefore approached the South Wales Aviation Museum in St Athan, which accepted the offer. The aircraft will be placed on public display, ensuring its story is shared with future generations.”
The museum added that a condition assessment revealed severe corrosion on portions of the airframe, likely caused by prolonged outdoor storage prior to its 2006 placement in Midlands Hangar 1. As a result, the wings and any irreparably damaged materials were removed, with salvageable components repurposed to help offset display costs. G-APAS was the final aircraft of 21 Comet 1s built, making its maiden flight at Hatfield on 16 March 1953. Delivered to Air France on 22 July 1953 as F-BGNZ, it was withdrawn from service on 11 January 1954 following the grounding of the BOAC Comet fleet after the catastrophic loss of G-ALYP over the Mediterranean. Returned to the manufacturer in February 1954 for modifications, it entered storage before undergoing a conversion program in September 1956 at Broughton, Chester. The aircraft was re-registered as G-APAS on 29 November 1957 and subsequently used for trials and research, including infra-red weapon programs for the Red Top and Firestreak air-to-air missiles. Much of this work was conducted in an RAF Transport Command-style color scheme.
Struck off charge on 23 February 1968, the Comet was transferred to the RAF Museum later that year, initially stored at Shawbury before being repainted in BOAC livery and moved to Cosford in September 1978. Years of display and storage at Cosford followed, until its recent relocation to South Wales. The South Wales Aviation Museum, the largest independent aircraft museum in Wales, will now preserve the fuselage as part of its mission to protect aviation heritage and inspire the next generation of engineers and aviators.
