B.A.C. HAS A WINNER

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30540, 8 September 1964, Page 15

B.A.C. HAS A WINNER

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 7. The market for the British Aircraft Corporation one-eleven aircraft was estimated at more than 1000 in the next decade, Michael Donne, the “Financial Times” air correspondent said yesterday. In a special aviation edition of the newspaper, he said: “The next 12 months may well see a dramatic expansion in the already good order books for the one-eleven.” The British aircraft industry had pinned its faith to the B.A.C. VCIO long-range jet, the Hawker-Siddeley Trident medium haul aircraft, the B.A.C. one-eleven and the Hawker-Siddeley 125 executive aircraft. But “the prospects for these aircraft are mixed,” he said. The Super VCIO had suffered a severe knock in export markets by a recent decision of 8.0A.C. to reduce substantially its requirement. In Front And the outlook for the Trident was uncertain, as it had not done as well as had been hoped, Donne wrote. For the other two types, the oneeleven and the HSI2S “the outlook is considerably brighter.” Britain was still a long way out in front of competitors with the one-eleven. “Of them all this looks like being the one field in which the British industry can win a clear run home,” he added. Real long-term stability of the industry must come from a solid demand from world’s airlines for aeroplanes that can be produced in long production runs, yielding immense financial returns on the high initial development cost.

“In Britain there have been few aeroplanes that fit this criterion,” he said. Of the military aircraft, the British TSR2 had promised to be an aircraft of exceptional capability but would be airborne much later than had been planned. “While this does not detract from its performance as an aircraft, it does add to the unfortunate aura created round the British aircraft industry that it starts with good ideas but follows them through too slowly.” Britain had been first with the long-haul jet, but was now being overtaken, and had failed to utilise the vari-

able geometry (swinging wing) concept. It was being overtaken by the United States with a medium-haul jet. In the same issue of the newspaper, the British Minister of Aviation (Mr Julien Amery) said the problems

! ahead of the British industry ' in facing American competi--1 tion were formidable. I But a closer association of the industries in Britain and i Europe might well be the • means of competing on more i equal terms with the United ; States.