L8 is allowed to quote from Putnams – our basic resource, to be moderated only by “Security” for jet-age military schemes, by later research on precise production quantities…and by the tendency of (firm-friendly) authors to skate over some turkey qualities.

Volkert’s exposure to DC-2 was in 1935. Fokker bought the licence in 1934. Mollusc Airspeed had taken in Swan Hunter equity and moved down from York to Portsmouth also in 1934, such that Fokker saw them as credible Trojan Horse to surmount tariffs/Imperial Preference and provide assembly/Product Support for Empire sales, so agreed a sub-licence, in 1934.

There was indeed a laziness in UK airframers’ approach to market – a perception that if you don’t play cricket, it’s just too hard to talk to you. Compare: Fokker, again, with HP, again:

Aer Lingus (then a BEAC-Associate) launched F-27 in 1956, unimpressed by weight of Victors in work, underwhelmed by HP’s priority on the richer product. They sought performance guarantees, fixed prices/specs/delivery, including spares and tools: Greek to HP. It was quite difficult to buy a Herald: R.Jordanian A.F. took 2, R.Malaysian A.F.10 as HP knew his way around military business (though 3/62 MoA chose 31 HS780 as RAF Andover C.1). But airlines were alien: HP Ltd. had ventured beyond Dover to terra incognita only twice – 1919 to China for 6 bombers-as-transports, and SABENA, Belgium, 1922, 2 (+13 licenced) others. HP preferred to sell in Whitehall’s one-stop shop to RAF and Imperial A/W. Civilians despaired and went to Fokker: 48 Heralds cf. 786 F-27 (and then F-50). Flight Intnl.23/12/98 Herald obituary: “the pilot feels he is exercising some skill if he taxies (smoothly…cockpit: ) tolerably comfortable for relatively short flights” but its virtue had been seen as “pleasant handling characteristics…pilot appeal.” Airliners are not sold to pilots.

On DH’s Mr.Nixon: disingenuous: Brabazon Projects funding released to (Committee Member) Sir Geoffrey in February,1944 were for prototype construction of the Rapide Replacement Type VB (Dove), for initial scheming of the Express Type IV (Comet I) and Continental Type II (AS.57 Ambassador).