- Joined
- 27 September 2006
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The story of Britain's jet airliner development is a sad one. The one exception in the 60s was the BAC111 although even here the Boeing 737 and Douglas DC9 took most of the sales.
Burying the engines in the wings (Comet and V100) or mounting them on the tail (VC10) seemed less successful with long range customers than fitting them in underwing pods (Boeing 707 and Douglas DC8).
The Trident failed where the superficially identical Boeing 727 succeeded worldwide.
A proposed HS134 podded Trident looks similar to the Boeing 757 bought later by British Airways.
Britain was not the only European country to be unlucky with its airliners. France had the Dassault Mercure and West Germany the VF614.
Being cynical it is only in the 80s.when Airbus manufactures a family of widebodied podded engined airliners that Boeing gets a rival.
Perhaps if Tridents and VC10s had been more like Boeings things might have been different.
Burying the engines in the wings (Comet and V100) or mounting them on the tail (VC10) seemed less successful with long range customers than fitting them in underwing pods (Boeing 707 and Douglas DC8).
The Trident failed where the superficially identical Boeing 727 succeeded worldwide.
A proposed HS134 podded Trident looks similar to the Boeing 757 bought later by British Airways.
Britain was not the only European country to be unlucky with its airliners. France had the Dassault Mercure and West Germany the VF614.
Being cynical it is only in the 80s.when Airbus manufactures a family of widebodied podded engined airliners that Boeing gets a rival.
Perhaps if Tridents and VC10s had been more like Boeings things might have been different.