Following the second world war, Britain had a commanding technological lead over most of the world in aviation. Not only did they introduce the world’s first passenger jet, the de Havilland Comet 1, they also lead in the turboprop sphere with the popular Vickers Viscount.
It cannot be understated just how far ahead the British were. The Comet first flew in 1949 and entered service in 1952, a full six years ahead of the Boeing 707. The same duration applied for the turboprops, with the Viscount entering service six years before the Lockheed Electra.
An Aviation Lead Squandered
So, what happened? Well, apart from the well documented issues with the Comet, there were many other factors at play. There is a very good video here by Ruairidh MacVeigh on YouTube which runs for just under 30 minutes, detailing what happened with the Vickers VC7 and V-1000 projects.
It was thought by some at the time of these aircraft cancellations that Britain was ceding its lead in aviation to the Americans. Unfortunately, those people turned out to be correct. The UK has never attained the ascendency that once had in the late 1940s and early 1950s ever again.
Overall Thoughts
While British aircraft such as the Vickers VC10, Hawker Siddeley Trident and BAC One-Eleven were produced in the 1960s, these designs never really reached their market potential. Boeing and Douglas dominated the market during that period and not much has changed since, apart from Douglas being absorbed into Boeing and Airbus ascending to become the other main supplier.
It would be interesting to speculate on what would have happened had the VC7 gone into service. As the video mentions, it was an outdated design, having been surpassed by the new American planes. Still, they would have been first to market, so perhaps they would have been able to hold on to some market share.
What do you think of Britain losing its aviation lead? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
Like planes? See my “Does anyone remember” series.
Flight reviews your thing? Mine are all indexed here.
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
