Judging by a couple of thread recently posted on here, I though it was about time to vent your anger at those who cancelled certain projects from the 50’s & 60’s.
I’ll start the ball rolling.
The awesome Armstrong Whitworth AW-52 Flying Wing, sure, it had it’s short comming’s, but it was one hell of machine for the AW company to have come up with, you can only speculate what might have been. 😎
By: dhfan - 7th August 2004 at 00:21
OK, am I really cracking up?
I know somebody posted some pics of other cancelled aircraft somewhere, including the fat Percival helicopter, but I can’t find them anywhere.
By: SteveO - 6th August 2004 at 18:38
How about the ‘tin wing’ Harrier GR5.
This project was dropped when the UK joined the AV8B program. It involved rewinging GR3’s with a metal wing with more area and hardpoints. I think it would also have made a great part of the Sea Harrier FRS2 upgrade.
By: John Boyle - 6th August 2004 at 17:14
Project Cancelled is a great book, I finally found a copy, it’s rather rare here in the states. Also I can recommend Bull Gunston’s Fighters of the West…a couple of chapters in that about cancelled projects.
In my opinion, nobody writes better developmental & political histories of aircraft better than Gunston.
By: coanda - 6th August 2004 at 10:27
I have both the fighter and bomber project books, they are indeed very interesting.
By: dhfan - 6th August 2004 at 10:05
Project Cancelled was by Derek Wood. Guaranteed to cause virtually instant foaming at the mouth.
By: Growler - 6th August 2004 at 09:18
The other eye-opener of a book was “Project Cancelled”, can’t remember the author.
My grandfather worked for Armstrong-Whitworth after the war as an instrument fitter, ofter going up on test flights. He had fond memories of the AW-52, one of so many “might-have-beens”. I’ll dig some of his pics out when I return to the mother country.
Moggie mentioned Dennis Healy as one of the Grim Reapers of British aviation, but Mountbatten didn’t help, nor, I beleive did Duncan Sandys, with his “all future aircraft will be unmanned” fantasy.
By: paulc - 6th August 2004 at 09:17
Not forgetting the Miles M52 aircraft that was likely to be the first to break the sound barrier with a British pilot (Eric Brown I believe) We gave it away to the Americans who promptly classified it and refused to share any info. The flying tail aspect of the design was critical in allowing the Bell X-1 to go supersonic.
By: GDL - 6th August 2004 at 01:26
Have you guys read this?:
The German Secret Projects series of these books has been brilliant!
By: LesB - 6th August 2004 at 00:35
TSR.2 was the one most people know about of course, but do a little reading into the SR-177 project and you’ll find that it was just as debilitating (if not more so in the context of the times) to the UK aircraft industry. The project did produce the famous SR-53 of course (a couple of them) and was headed by Saunders Roe. Personally I think the rot set in when the Miles Aircraft Co were scuppered. 😡
BTW BuccS, was with Roger & Arthur this weekend – a good, sunny day as well.
Ah! Sorry about that BuccS, posted the above about the SR-177 before I saw your mention of it in another thread. 😮
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August 6, 2004 at 12:09 am