Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with National Museum Of Flight before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | G-BDIX |
|---|---|
| Type | de Havilland DH.106 Comet 4C |
| Built | 1962, c/n 6471, as RAF Comet C.4 XR399 |
| Units / operator | RAF No. 216 Squadron; Dan-Air (registered 1 September 1975) |
| Arrived | Flown in from Lasham, September 1981 |
| Registration cancelled | 13 June 1983 |
| Status | On display |
| Where | National Museum Of Flight, North Berwick |
The story of G-BDIX
This Comet 4C, construction number 6471, was built in 1962 for the Royal Air Force as a Comet C.4. As XR399 it flew with No. 216 Squadron, the RAF's Comet transport squadron, which used the type until 1975.
When the RAF retired its Comets, Dan-Air bought several. This one was registered to the airline as G-BDIX on 1 September 1975. Dan-Air was then the last major operator of the Comet, at one time owning all the airworthy civil examples.
In September 1981 G-BDIX flew from Lasham in Hampshire to East Fortune. It was the last flight by a Comet in commercial colours. The registration was formally cancelled in June 1983.
It has stood outdoors ever since, in Dan-Air livery, and visitors can walk through the cabin. It was repainted in the 1990s. Every spring the museum treated corrosion and cleaned the exterior. By 2013, after more than 30 years of Scottish weather and visitors' feet, both the skin and the interior had deteriorated badly. The museum's conservators then began emergency work to stabilise it.
Seeing G-BDIX today
Outdoors on the airfield with the Vulcan and BAC One-Eleven, in Dan-Air colours. The cabin is usually open to walk through.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Museum Of FlightNorth Berwick, East Lothian | £15 | 47 | Concorde G-BOAA, which flew British Airways' first commercial supersonic service in 1976 and arrived here by barge and giant road-crawl… |
Also known as: XR399 · Dan-Air Comet · Comet C.4 XR399 · Comet 6471