Presenting the Boeing 787-10 in the classic colours of Olympic Airways, specifically as it appeared on the de Havilland Comet 4Bs which flew with the airline during the 1960s. As with many airlines, having operated piston driven Douglas DC-3s and DC-4s since the airline's inception, the Comet was their first jet airliner. During the 60s, Olympic operated one of the world's first codeshare arrangements with British European Airways as a pool of Comets were shared between the two airlines. In 1966 Olympic expanded its jet fleet with the introduction of Boeing 707s as the Comet was already becoming obsolete, and by the end of the decade Olympic had entireling phased out its fleet of 6 Comets. 

The particular Comet this is based of of is SX-DAL "Queen Olga" which was a Comet 4B built in 1960 and named for Queen Olga who was Queen of the Hellenes as the wife of King George the first of Greece from 1867 until the latter's death in 1937. SX-DAL would go onto to be reregistered as G-APYD and serving various charter services in the UK before ending up with Dan Air until 1972 when it was retired. The airframe was saved from the scrapyard however as it was delivered to the Wroughton Museum to be preserved as an exhibit and is still on display to be viewed by the public, though it has retained the Dan Air livery it had up until its retirement.

The Comet's Tale

This is part 2 of a small project I have begun which is looking to take advantage of the similarities in the design between the 787 and the de Havilland Comet, particularly in the unique nose they share with it's much more aerodynamically contoured shape than most airliners by taking some of my favourite designs that appeared on the Comet (and also the similarly stylishly tapered Sud Aviation Caravelle) and painting them onto the 787. This is both to preserve some of the great liveries of the 1950s and 60s, but also to honour the legacy of one of the spearhead (in more ways than one) aircraft of the early jet age.

Part 1: Air France

Part 2: Olympic Airways

This is an ongoing project and the list will continue to grow as I add more liveries. If you have any particular favourite Comet looks that you'd like me to include, let me know.

 

Credit

This livery avoids mirroring on the tail using the method developed by Mugz. His discord is here

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Boeing 787-10 Olympic Airways Classic

Experience the nostalgia of aviation history with the Boeing 787-10 Olympic Airways Classic add-on, featuring the iconic colors of Olympic Airways from the 1960s, inspired by their de Havilland Comet 4Bs. Explore a piece of the past as you fly with the airline that operated codeshare flights with British European Airways and transitioned from piston-driven aircraft to jet airliners. Join the project celebrating the unique design similarities between the 787 and the Comet, with more classic liveries to come.

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