On May 2, 1952 the de Havilland Comet took off from London with the final destination of Johannesburg, South Africa (though not a non-stop trip). This was the first passenger flight in a commercial airliner, powered only by turbine engines. Here is a short documentary that was made during the historic flight itself. Because it was filmed during the historic flight, it tells the story better than I can and offers a valuable historical perspective during that time.
