British Jetliners 1 – TRIDENT and VC-10

British Jetliners 1 – TRIDENT and VC-10

The history of post-war British airliner manufacture was one of government interference and bullying and of the two State Airlines having too much say in what was to be built. The two State carriers BEA and BOAC got the best route licences but were only allowed to buy British aircraft. This meant that the independent carriers had an unfair, hard time making money while the two state airlines never did make money (!) until force-merged into BA in 1973. Only when BA was privatised did it go into the black – and it needed new Boeing fleets to do that.

This meant that British airliner makers had a choice: Go for lucrative contracts to supply BEA and BOAC their planes or make aeroplanes for general airline use across the world (this market was mainly Europe and South America).

The only successful British airliners were built for this second general category although both types were consequently purchased by BEA (The Vickers Viscount first flew scheduled services with Air France and the BAC 1-11 was originally built for BUA and two American carriers).

All airliners built specifically for BEA or BOAC were commercially unsuccessful as most other airlines didn’t have the same route structure or needs as these two airlines. To be fair, BEA and especially BOAC were tasked to support routes to commonwealth destinations exactly as had the pre-war Imperial Airways. So neither the British state airlines nor the British aircraft makers supporting them had a fair chance at making money.

HAWKER-SIDDELEY TRIDENT

The Trident was not a commercial success as it didn’t fit the requirements for European carriers – it was specifically designed

for BEA’s lower passenger per flight projections. Sadly once the jet was introduced into service in 1964/65 BEA changed its mind

and like Europe’s airlines it also decided it needed a larger aircraft. Everyone wanted the bigger and more powerful Boeing 727.

BEA was refused the Boeing jet so the Trident 3b was the cheapest British alternative. The drawing board concept jet – a fat BAC 1-11 – called the BAC 3-11 was turned down as the Trident was already built and a 3b new variant was only a year away whereas the BAC 3-11 was a several year project. The Trident fleet was the mainstay type with BEA taking over from the Viscount from 1965.

Tridents were mainly sold to the state airline; BEA. Independent British carrier Channel Airways had 2 series 1E jets which went

to BKS Air Transport when Channel sadly went under.

BEA Trident tails

BKS Air Transport Trident 1e at Heathrow 1969

Iraq Airways Trident 1c leaving Hotel stands Heathrow 1972

The last Trident 1C in the BA fleet at ‘BEA’ base.

The Trident 2 was arguably the nicest looking of the series with its longer wings.

The Trident 3b with extra forth tail engine in place of GPU unit.

The end if the Trident jetliner at ‘BEA’ base where many of the Tridents were scrapped.

VICKERS VC-10

The VC-10 was BOAC’s British counterpart for the Boeing 707. The tail-mounted jet’s cabin was advertised as queter than the 707, and was probably the UK’s most glamourous and elegant airliner (Yes Concorde, but we didn’t build it by ourselves, the French built the toilets).

BOAC wanted to buy the Boeing 707 but the government said ‘must be British’ so the beautiful VC-10 was designed. But it was late
coming into service due to design delays so BOAC was allowed to purchase a small fleet of early-model Boeing 707s to tide them
over while awaiting the new jet. The Boeing 707 was so liked, and it fitted so well into BOAC’s routes that they purchased more
later in the 1960s and the type stayed with the airline well into the 1970s (and into 1980 as cargo jets).
BOAC generally used the Standard VC-10 on the ‘Empire’ routes with the leased 707s usually flying the trans-Atlantic routes.
In the meantime the Standard VC-10 was introduced 1965 by BUA, and BOAC and a special variant was ordered for the RAF too. Two

years later saw the Super VC-10 and this jet was really beautiful with a stretched fuselage and uprated RR Conway jets. BOAC used the Super VC-10 fleet alongside the 707s on trans-Atlantic routes. In 1979 the remaining BOAC Super VC-10s were finally withdrawn from passenger services and sold to the Royal Air Force. The Supers were converted to air refueling tankers and are only now – in 2011 – facing final retirement at RAF Brize Norton.

The VC-10 was not much used by other airlines although some commonwealth states operated single examples of the jet in the mid
1960s (i.e. Nigeria Airways, Ghana Airways) and MEA operated a couple too. The Emerates state operated a single example standard VC-10 for a while in the 1970s. The most prolific non-UK user of these aircraft was East African Airways who replaced their Comet 4s with a small fleet of Super VC-10s in the late 1960s. EAA had one of the most lovely liveries for the Super VC-10 and they also had a fifth engine pod under the inboard starboard wing at the root. This allowed them to carry a spare engine to any EAA VC-10 that had an unserviceable engine.

Super VC-10s at British Airways maintanence base in about 1979 shortly before they were WFU.

BOAC VC-10 in 1966 livery by Caz. This was the livery that replaced the BOAC-Cunard markings when Cunard went to Eagle Airways.

This livery was followed by the ‘classic’ BOAC markings.

BUA were the first to take delivery of the Standard VC-10 – beautifully pictured here at Gatwick in 1968 by Caz

East African Airways Super VC-10 closeup on the RR Conway engines with arrow extending from no.2 – Heathrow hotel stands.

RAF Super VC-10 Tanker on short finals at Brize Norton in 2009 – The RAF VC-10 fleet is shortly due to be retired. These Super

tens are the former British Airways jets built in about 1966/67 so they are now very old ladies. If you want to photograph the

last of the British Jets this is the time to get up to Brize before they are gone forever.