Aeroplane September 2017

40 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE SEPTEMBER 2017

as being pitched to a completely

different market.

Design work on the VC11 had

begun seriously at Weybridge

during 1959. It became a major

programme from October

onwards, further involving

Vickers’ sister design team down at

Bournemouth Hurn. The project was

to occupy both facilities for more

than a year-and-a-half.

The concept that evolved looked

very much like a baby VC10, using

the same basic design of four rear-

mounted engines with a T-tail and a

wing incorporating high-lift devices

and boundary layer control. Seating

was to be six-abreast, with various

layouts for up to 138 economy-class

passengers, or 101 in a mixed-class

arrangement (48 fi rst-class and

53 tourist). Range would be about

1,500nm with maximum payload.

In the meantime, from 1957-59

serious efforts were made to merge

the aircraft interests of de Havilland,

Vickers and English Electric.

Had this occurred, it would have

had a major impact on the future

progression of the British aviation

industry.

By early 1959, Vickers’ growing

fi nancial problems had forced it to

increase the pace of merger talks.

This malaise stemmed from a major

underestimation of the costs of the

VC10 and Vanguard, combined with

their poor sales. That June the fi rm

warned that it would be in fi nancial

problems without help from the state,

yet it still wanted to develop a larger

VC10 — the Super variant — as well

as launching the new VC11. Both

would require government launch aid.

Although discussions with English

Electric progressed well, talks were

opened with de Havilland. Vickers

wanted a dominant position in the

commercial aircraft sector, having

achieved leadership on the only

remaining major military programme

of the period, the TSR2, after the

cancellations that followed Duncan

Sandys’ infamous defence review at

the end of the 1950s.

While de Havilland revealed

much about its DH121, Vickers

remained very tight-lipped about its

own studies, apart from the fact that

the VC11 existed. It was not until

April 1960 that initial details were

revealed, and that was from a foreign

source. This was to be a heavier and

more powerful machine than the now

downsized DH121.

de Havilland felt it was in a strong

place. It already had BEA as a

launch customer for the DH121, and

although the design was now smaller

than the VC11 there would still be

competition between the two — but

would the government support both

aircraft? As far as de Havilland was

concerned, the VC11 would have

limited appeal with its greater size

and four engines, although the fact

that it was the size of the eventual

Boeing 727 proved that Vickers had

got the capacity correct.

Consideration was now being given

to Vickers taking over de Havilland

in a joint bid with Rolls-Royce, with

or without English Electric. Always

perceived as the crème de la crème

of the British aircraft industry, de

Havilland was still hoping not to be

drawn into this re-organisation. It

wanted to remain independent even

if this meant no further government

money. DH had the ongoing Comet

programme, the new DH121 with

BEA’s major order, the Fleet Air

Arm’s Sea Vixen and a new business

jet, the DH125, in the offi ng. It was

also looking at feederliner studies

to succeed the Dove and Heron.

de Havilland wished to start a joint

research and development company

for new projects, for Vickers to drop

the VC11, and for English Electric to

include its aircraft production factory

VICKERS VC11

DH121 Trident 1 VC11

Engines Three Rolls-Royce Four Rolls-Royce

RB163s, 10,100lb RB163/1s, 10,850lb

thrust each thrust each

Max take-off weight 105,500lb 170,000lb

Maximum coach seats 100 123

Length 114ft 8in 136ft

Wing span 89ft 10in 103ft

Wing area 1,358 sq ft 1,600 sq ft

It is interesting to compare the original

DH121 and the VC11 before BEA’s

panicked decision in 1959 to scale back

the de Havilland project due to falling

traffi c fi gures — a decision that some feel

killed off its wider international sales

prospects. Although the VC11 was still a

larger aircraft, with a gross weight of

170,000lb, the original DH121 had a gross

weight of 123,000lb, and projected

versions may have increased this to

150,000lb. What eventually became BEA’s

Trident 1 was, as this table shows, a very

different beast.

TRIDENT VERSUS VC11

RIGHT:

Would the VC11

have been a

potential British

rival to the Boeing

727? Vickers had

high hopes, but it

would have been

tough to take on

the might of the

American giant.

38-47_AM_VICKERS_Sept17_cc C.indd 40 31/07/2017 13:27