aircraft from "In the Wet" (Nevil Shute)

[agricola64]

in his 1953 book "In the Wet"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Wet

Nevil Shute describes describes a long range executive transport / long range mail airliner aircraft - the aircraft is not well described in the book, but seems to be similar to a downscaled comet with only 2 jet engines but rocket assist for take off ..

does anyone here happen to know if this aircraft is based on a real project? Nevil Shute was a aeronautical engineer and might have used a real project as the basis for his fictional aircraft ..

 

[johnfowles]

agricola84 asked and I quote:-

"does anyone here happen to know if this aircraft is based on a real project"
Whilst nobody now can be 100% certain a learned discussion on the Nevil Shute forum a few years back included a telling submission by the late Mike Meehan who as a young trainee at Avro's had the drawings of the proposed civil version of the Vulcan bomber on his drawing board.It was therefore generally agreed that the inspiration for the fictitious De Havilland 316 Ceres in the book was the Avro 770 Atlantic
that discussion is still on line at:-
http://www.nevilshute.org/Discus/messages/15/46.html?1116799539

 

[agricola64]

thank you!

that helped a lot ..

 

[johnfowles]

thank you!

that helped a lot ..

You are very welcome
thre is a fine study of model of the Atlantic on the Nevil Shute Norway Fouindation page at:
http://www.nevilshute.org/PhotoLine/PLD-1951-1960/pl-1951-1960-02.php
Another interesting web page on this subject is at:-
http://www.chat.carleton.ca/~jnoakes/ram/atlantic.html
which reveals that I was wrong above it was the Avro 722 Atlantic
A google seasrh also revealed that there are also is a reference to this project in another thread on this forum
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=482.15;wap2
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn63/dug007red/fs9%20pics/aalantic_5.jpg
page 2 includes a link to another worthhile read:-
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread212956/pg1
"glow=red,2,300]Would-be 707 rivals[/glow]

[img[

 

[johnfowles]

OK lets try again
great mockup picture

 

[royabulgaf]

Breathtaking. Is that the Mk 2 wing? I've only seen drawings of the proposed aircraft with the prototype straight delta. Time to dig out the Vulcan and the spare C-135 fuselage.

 

[MaxLegroom]

That was not a mockup picture...it is a Flight Simulator screenshot. I'm not entirely sure, but probably a FS2004 screenshot, meaning he (or someone) built the Avro Atlantic in FS2004. Wonder if it's available for download...

 

[kitnut617]

My build so far of it --

I had been in contact with Mike Meehan some years ago, and 90% of my information on the subject comes from him. Unfortunately he has since died ---

Bottom picture is what appears in the book

 

[uk 75]

I have re-read "In the Wet" recently.
Two "Ceres" aircraft are purchased in an alternate reality 1980s for use by the Queen's Flight. One is operated and crewed by the RAAF, the other by the RCAF.
The Australian plane is descibed as being silver with blue wings.

 

[Scott Kenny]

I have re-read "In the Wet" recently.
Two "Ceres" aircraft are purchased in an alternate reality 1980s for use by the Queen's Flight. One is operated and crewed by the RAAF, the other by the RCAF.
The Australian plane is descibed as being silver with blue wings.

Probably just polished aluminum, but that would be a very pretty aircraft...