The world's first jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet, was a revolutionary aircraft that changed air travel forever. It was powered by four de Havilland Ghost turbojet engines, which were mounted in pairs on either side of the fuselage. The engines provided the Comet with a cruising speed of 500 miles per hour, which was more than twice the speed of the fastest piston-engine airliners of the time. The Comet also had a pressurized cabin, which allowed passengers to fly at high altitudes without experiencing discomfort. The Comet's maiden flight was in 1949, and it entered commercial service in 1952. However, the Comet was plagued by a series of fatal accidents, which were eventually traced to metal fatigue in the fuselage. The Comet was grounded in 1954, and it was not until 1958 that a modified version of the aircraft was reintroduced into service.
