108 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN Issue No 21
external service-duct running along each side
of the fuselage, in which all controls, cables, air
conditioning and other equipment could be in-
stalled and serviced from outside the fuselage,
leaving its interior free for essential internal ser-
vices. Quickly detachable panels made access easy.
out of time
There were no bidders for any of these highly
efficient — on paper, at least — airliners and once
again Fairey’s attempt to break into the airline
market failed. The Brabazon Committee had
pointed out that new types developed to fulfil
its five basic types would quite quickly become
obsolete in view of the innovations in aircraft
and engine design then being introduced on
a regular basis. This was an important part of
why the Fairey Queen lost its impact. By the
time Fairey had developed its airliner to the
point at which it could enter airline service, it
would have been virtually obsolete and over-
taken by the advent of the jet engine. Develop-
ment of the FC.1 had been stopped on the
outbreak of the war and the type was considered
too small to continue afterwards.
By 1947 the FC.2 and FC.3 were outside the
remit of the Brabazon Committee’s specifications,
as was the advanced Fairey Queen. All was not
lost, however, as the company went on to develop
a number of important military and experimental
aircraft, including the Gannet anti-submarine
aircraft and record-setting FD.2 supersonic
delta, until its merger with Westland in 1960.
ABOVE LEFT A somewhat utopian vision of the
future of air travel, this sequence of illustrations
from a contemporary brochure for the Fairey Queen
shows the various compartments for the passengers,
including the lower-deck dining area, as seen here.LEFT Having polished off a fine meal on china plates
with silver cutlery, the Fairey Queen passenger could
retire to the lounge-cum-library, complete with well-
stocked bar, bookcase and comfortable seats. Had it
been built, the reality for the Fairey Queen would more
likely have been a high-density coach-class layout.ABOVE A stewardess appears surplus to requirements
in the main upper-deck passenger cabin; presumably
the prospective customer hoped for rather better
business than shown in the promotional material.ABOVE A contemporary Fairey illustration of a cross-
section of the forward part of the Fairey Queen’s
double-bubble fuselage, with the capacious freight
hold beneath the flightdeck. Note also the equipment
ducts running in the voids between the curved upper
and lower fuselage sections, making servicing easier.
TAH