Trident 1 was screwed by BEAC’s 1950s/60s’ cartel lifestyle – first departure of the day LHR-Paris: BEAC, second: AF, and on, after you Claude, all revenues shared. If there was imbalance in any revenue season (say, AF Caravelle, v.BE Viscount) guess what? Revenues pooled. So frequency mattered, capacity and operating economics did not. UK also had foreign exchange constraints (to 1979!) on leisure pax volume – your Bank inscribed FF purchases in your passport, checking against a £50 annual ceiling. Yes, really! None of the above in US, so DH/RR first schemed DH121/Medway, which is what Boeing copied – 727 had baseline Medway till days before launch. BEAC said shorten it; DH/RR lacked the gumption to risk their own cash, but settled for what BEAC’s owner would Launch Aid. Spey, not Medway, which died. Trident 2E and 3B then just played catch-up with 727-200/200ADV.

1-11, launched by (F.Laker at BUA), had US at insemination, infused by (Vickers) Viscount penetration (subliminal lure of aeroplanes). Loss of TCA’s order to DC-9/10 was profound; so was liklihood of BAC’s trading failure after TSR.2(April,’65), before Saudi Magic Carpet (Dec.,1965). DC-9/30 and 737-100 were launched just then, so we again chased US Product Development, with 1-11/400 (winning American Airlines), then /500 (launched by {Govt. on behalf of} noisily resentful BEAC). No lust by BAC to put up 50% for 1-11/600, which could have paced DC-9/50, 737-200(ADV), and led on to a Tay/1-11 LITE – Boeing schemed just such a 737 before going with grossly overpowered CFM-56, derated to give spectacular longevity.

US Govt. did not do Launch Aid (50% of planned R&D paid by Govt. to be recovered in Sales Levy), but UK industry (and Airbus Industrie) have always claimed US does the same thing in different ways, inc. at State and City level. What US industry did (does) was enhance the product; they also commit their own money to long lead-time lumps for an unsold Lot, and stock up on bits before Certification: these things hook customers. Please can we on this site stop bleating about industry failures as Govt.’s fault.