Aeroplane September 2017

AEROPLANE SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com 41

in the new concern. DH would keep

its guided weapons and equipment

separate from the new company, plus

a link with its engine fi rm.

Under Sandys’ 1959 plan the

government had announced that it

would contribute up to a maximum of

50 per cent towards the launch costs

of new commercial projects. These

included the VC11, the government

having realised that the cost of

new airliner development efforts

was increasing beyond the reach of

industry alone. It agreed to contribute

£9.75 million towards the launch of

the VC11, the total cost of which was

estimated at £19.5 million. Those

launch costs were due to have been

recovered after the sale of 72 aircraft.

Vickers sales teams set out on a

North American visit in January-

February 1960, talking to TWA,

Eastern, Northeast,

Pan Am and TCA.

That September,

a fi rst fl ight was

envisaged as taking

place approximately

three years hence,

with a certifi cate

of airworthiness

being achieved by

December 1964.

One carrier that showed interest

was New Zealand’s Tasman Empire

Airways Ltd, especially for its ‘coral

route’. A proposal was made to

TEAL in June 1960 for a variant

capable of travelling from Auckland

to the western seaboard of the USA

with a full passenger load. This

would have had additional wingtip

fuel tanks, with initial deliveries in

the fi rst quarter of 1965. Australian

fl ag-carrier Qantas was also seen as

a potential buyer of up to 10 aircraft.

Vickers needed an agreement as soon

as possible in order to land a letter of

intent from Canadian airline TCA by

the end of November 1960, and thus

launch the VC11 programme.

As well as the Rolls-Royce

RB163/1, engines under

consideration included the company’s

AR963-6 and RB963-1, both

developments of the RB163-1. When

Vickers held in-depth talks with

Pan Am in November 1960, these

included discussion of a Pratt &

Whitney JT8D-1-powered variant,

which would have accommodated

113 passengers split between 24 in

fi rst class and 89 in tourist class. This

derivative would have had to feature

four Class III-standard overwing

exits, and a three-crew layout was

necessary for US operations. A

preliminary contract was even drawn

up, showing how hopeful Vickers was

of obtaining a Pan Am order. The

carrier’s Latin American division was

possibly looking for between 10-15

aircraft, and maybe up to 25.

The British aircraft industry’s

reshuffl e was fi nally settled during

1960, when de Havilland agreed to be

taken over by the Hawker Siddeley

grouping which further included

Avro 771 small jetliner, while other

competition came from the French

Caravelle and Boeing’s 727. At that

point the airlines were saying that

they would have preferred the chosen

aircraft to have just two engines.

The Vickers — now strictly

BAC — team had visited Australia

in October 1960, and the operators

were certainly interested in the VC11,

even feeling it may have the edge

over the 727. The combined TAA/

Ansett order could have equated to a

deal worth up to £36 million. As late

as January 1961, Ansett remained in

the frame.

During early December 1960

Flight cited a Daily Express report

stating that BAC had secured an

option on 20 VC11s. The company

later confi rmed that an airline had

optioned a number of aircraft, but

fewer than 20. In the

event this turned out

to be a letter of intent

signed by TCA for 14

aircraft. It was hoped

at Weybridge that the

carrier might increase

this in 1961.

After TCA

representatives had

visited Weybridge

in September 1960, the project was

revised. The fuselage width was

increased and a fi rst fl ight date was

given as September 1963. BAC was

intending for TCA to receive the fi rst

six to 10 aircraft should it place a full

launch order. Plans were also drawn

up in December 1960 for Canadian

industry to produce signifi cant

locally built content for the VC11.

Those items looked at included

manufacturing of the fi n, tailplane,

elevator, rudder, ailerons and fl aps.

Some work on the engines may also

have been carried out, while Dowty’s

Canadian arm would contribute

towards the undercarriage, and

Dunlop towards the tyres.

Competition was however on the

way from across the Atlantic in the

form of Boeing’s new 727. On 20

November 1960 United and Eastern

Airlines signed letters of intent for

The government agreed to contribute

£9.75 million towards the launch of the

VC11... Those launch costs were due to

have been recovered after the sale of

72 aircraft

Avro, Armstrong Whitworth and

Blackburn. The second new concern,

the British Aircraft Corporation

(BAC), was created by joining the

aviation interests of Vickers and

English Electric together with

Bristol, and then the takeover of

Hunting Aircraft in May 1960,

which brought that company’s long-

projected Hunting 107 small twin

jetliner into the fold.

Flight reported during December

1960 that interest was being shown in

the VC11 from Australia, with both

Ansett and Trans Australia Airlines

looking for new jet fl eets. Against

the BAC pairing of the VC11 and

the Hunting 107 (now renamed the

BAC 107) was pitted an alternative

all-British offering from Hawker

Siddeley of the DH121 and the

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