Designed and built in 1934, the D.H. 88 Comet was DeHavilland's solution to winning the MacRobertson air race of October 1934 between the newly completed Mildenhall aerodrome, England and Flemington Racecourse, Australia. Just a few days after their delivery, the first 3 comets took part in the race, with G-ACSS 'Grosvenor House' winning the race in a record breaking time of 70 hours, 54 minutes and 18 seconds, beating the newly introduced DC-2 and Boing 247D. Many have marked the 1934 MacRobertson Air Race as one of the key points which catapulted the civil air industry into a new era, publily highlighting the technologicial achievements and advancements of monoplane design, not just in Britain, but across the globe. The comet was the latest design by DeHavilland aircraft and their lead engineer A.E.Hagg, who collated a wide range of modern and experimental techniques which resulted in a wooden monoplane with a very streamlined and smooth appearance. This was all powered by DeHavilland's latest and best engine design - the DeHavilland Gipsy Six I, with special racing variants produced specifically for the comets, with a higher compression ratio allowing for 225 hp to be produced, and allowing for the engine to be run at full throttle at cruise altitude for maximum performance and efficiency.

The TPAeronautics D.H. 88 Comet is a scratch-built MSFS native aircraft, taking no modelling or flight modelling information from the original FS2004 comet. The exterior model has been built up from a mix of available plans, and historical photos wherever possible, resulting in a design very close to the original comets produced in 1934. In addition to this, a fully functioning (yet placeholder!) cockpit has been modeled, again taking whatever information has been retained over the last 88 years of the original cockpit design of the comet. This, tied in with the custom flight model based off of the original 1934 flight test data and modern accounts of her recent and current pilots have resulted in a unique and entertaining aircraft to take to the skies.

The aim of this release is to give as many people the chance to experience the thrills and joys of taking a 1934 endurance racing machine into the skies to test her (lack of) metal! This all being said, i am fully aware that we are only human, and in the end, this is all for entertainment, not record-braking runs. As a result, a basic autopilot has been built in and hidden away on the rear panel to allow those who wish to attempt the 11 hour record breaking flights a little bit of respite from the controls. There is also a 'hidden' comms radio and transponder, however with none modeled, if you wish to make use of these, you will need dedicated hardware unfortunately...

Please be aware that this is a very early release version of a product i fully intend to keep working on in the coming year, and improving upon. As a result, all of the texturing is somewhat rough and ready, and the modelling of the interior cockpit is very basic. Further to this, with a lack of personal funds, i have not been able to start work on a custom sound set for the comet as of yet, and so have included the default C152 sound (this only results in you hearing the port engine however!). Further support to help fix some issues you may occur can be found on TPAeronautics dedicated discord server (link below).

PLEASE BE AWARE: This is built as a SIMULATION of the original 1934 racing comets. I have done my very best as a result to replicate their tendencies, as well as their flaws. It is very well known that these were very tricky aircraft to fly - there's a good reason that there are fewer pilots allowed to fly the remaining airworthy comet than there are many other arguably more historical aircraft! Do not jump in expecting her to be as comfortable and forgiving to take-off, land or complete any other action in. She requires patience and knowledge to handle correctly.
IF you were wanting a simplified more 'arcade' experience, then i suggest you look to install the mod i have produced to download separately which re-writes a number of pieces of the flight and engine models to make it a much more hands-free flying experience. However be aware, this naturally will take away some of the fun of learning such a vintage machine.

Please check before each flight:
1. Check your CG limits. This should now be fixed as a full-forward CG on the limit, however any changes to fuel contents will affect this. If it is too far forward you WILL nose-over while taxiing.
2. Check your directional gyroscope is set correctly - this changes at the start of every flight, and will drift around 12' every 15 minutes while the engines are on (as per the prototype). Use the compass to your right knee to help set this correctly (takes around 45 seconds to do when you get used to it!)

This pack includes:
when you get used to it!)

 

This pack includes:

v0.6.3 D.H.88 Comet

Detailed 1934 exterior model

Fully functional 1934 cockpit

Custom flight model including original automatic 2-pitch pneumatic ratier propellers

Custom fuel system which mimics that found in the original 1934 aircraft

Basic autopilot to assist in long-haul flights

4 Historical liveries including: G-ACSP Black magic, G-ACSS Grosvenor house, G-ACSR the 'green' comet and G-ACSR Reine astrid

Togglable pilot models for the interior cockpit (clickspot on seats) 

Manual of Instructions

Performance statistics:
Cruise speed: 191 kts
Cruise altitude: 10,000 ft
Range: 2530 NM
Take-off run: 1350 ft

Please feel free to join the TPAeronautics discord for specific support and updates on the progress of this project!
https://discord.gg/DVXrMe6R5n

I hope that you enjoy your flight... and try not to let that CG get out of balance!
~ Shepbur

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D.H.88 Comet

Experience the thrill of flying the historic 1934 D.H.88 Comet in Microsoft Flight Simulator with this scratch-built aircraft add-on. Featuring a detailed exterior model, functional cockpit, custom flight model, and basic autopilot for long-haul flights. Explore 4 historical liveries and enjoy a cruise speed of 191 kts at 10,000 ft altitude. Join the TPAeronautics discord for support and updates on this ongoing project.

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