Bristol Britannia Liners In USA Service ?

Let us not forget the problem encountered with the reverse flow Proteous turbo-props which also did their part to delaying Britannia success, even after service entry.
That couldn’t of helped US sales when they knew that their own turbo-jet airliners would be well up and running in the time frame.

Britannias were used by Aeronavas de Mexicana, Cubana, Canadian Pacific, and Transcontinetal SA of Argentina, so did see some continental action.

Blighted by US Protectionism and by development delays eroding the market window before turbojet types.

Far more a case of the latter than former.
If you recall, the US never did produce a turboprop airliner until the Electra very late in the game. And that was a medium range ship when it was thought jets would not be very fuel efficent on short-medium runs.

As has been mention before, the US wans’t that protectionist considering the number of Viscounts sld here in addition to Herons, Doves and Caravelles. To say nothing of license-built F-27s and other licenses that were taken out but never produced (Fairey Rotodyne).
The UK government encouraged tailoring aircraft for specific airline requirements prevented more sales to US airlines than any “protectionism”.

Speaking of Britannias – and going off at a slight tangent……

Way back in 1958/9, we lived directly under the approach to the old Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong – (this was before the ‘new’ Kai Tak runway out to sea was built).

I can remember as an 11-year old going onto the flat roof to watch DC-7C’s, Constellations – and Britannias – a few hundred feet directly above with everything down – before landing.

I heard a story that one Brit landed so hard, the props were bent.

Could that happen ??? It seems unlikely – but it’s a memory I have.

I went back to HK recently – and found the old married quarter in Sek Kong where we used to live – 50 years ago! 😮

It’s all on my website here.

Sorry to hijack your thread, Flyer……….

Ken

Re the OP, the Merchantman was of course a variant of the Vanguard, Not the Brittannia.

Which, as some wag suggested, should have been called the ‘Guardsvan’ ……(Vanguard) 😎

Ken

Bristol discussed a licence in 1952 with Convair, within Hughes’ interest for TWA. That later became the CL-28/CL-44 program at Convair’s Canadian affiliate. (as wieesso #2) 5 Srs.300 were ordered by Capital, not taken up, transferred to Northeast, not taken up. Aeronaves de Mexico, CPAL, El Al, Transcontinental (Argentina) all flew to/and Cubana near Idlewild. But no US operator. Blighted by US Protectionism and by development delays eroding the market window before turbojet types.

Flyer. I know nothing of any Britannias based within the US ??, but they certainly operated to and from there, if the link below works look at the first few posts on this thread where it was discussed in the past.

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=77812&highlight=britannia

Keith.:)

Think I read somewhere that Howard Hughes wanted to order a large quantity for TWA but Bristol could not meet his delivery requirements. Seem to recall also that Hughes kept a Bristol sales team waiting for days at one of the New York airports, then suddenly called them in the middle of the night wanting to take the aircraft on a test flight, at the end of which he said he wanted to buy the Brittannia. Re the OP, the Merchantman was of course a variant of the Vanguard, Not the Brittannia.

U.S. use of Britannias

This ,I think, is as close as it got! As the caption says Northeast ordered Britannias, at least one was painted up, but they were cancelled and Viscounts purchased instead. If the Britannia had been on time it could have picked up a lot of U.S. domestic orders
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1191747/

One of the aircraft ordered for Capital as N6597C is, of course, G-ANCF preserved at Liverpool.

Five N regs with Capital Airways – but ntu 🙁
N6595C – N6599C, msn 12920-12924