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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1970.PDF
: :•" • ". FLIGHT International, 7 November 1963 111 The scene at Hatfield on October 29 when DH Trident G-ARPE, on the left, returned from its Far East sales tour. See note on this page RETURN OF THE TRIDENT FIVE Tridents were neatly parked around the apron of the DH flight test centre at Hatfield, with one slot left vacant for the sixth. This aircraft, G-ARPE, was due to land at about 2.30 p.m. at the conclusion of a 35,000-mile, 80hr sales-demonstration and route- proving exercise to the Far East. One might imagine the adverse comments of the flight test department and of Lord Douglas of BEA—who was present—at the loss of five Trident-days' flight testing: but the Trident is nearing the end of its l,800hr test pro gramme, and BEA are being extremely helpful to Hawker Sidde- ley's DH Division in its efforts to sell the Trident. As Air Cdre F. R. Banks, DH chief executive, said after the air craft landed: "This trip was made possible through the courtesy of Lord Douglas." He spoke warmly, too, of BEA's offer to give up two places in the Trident delivery programme so that All Nippon, if they place an order, can receive the first two of a possible six air craft (and perhaps 20 eventually) next April and May. This was the Trident's first overseas sales tour (apart from the odd day trip to Stockholm, Dublin and other potential-customer territories). If it fails to produce orders from the airlines most con cerned—the premier prospect being All Nippon—"it won't be the fault of the demonstration," as Air Cdre Banks said. The competi tive temperature of the current medium jet sales battle was height ened during the tour by the contemporaneous trip of the Boeing 727—the two aircraft actually impingeing in the same point of space and time at Karachi, where the two rival teams had a friendly look over each other's product, notwithstanding the fact that the Americans have been playing rather a rough game in the aero nautical sales field of late. This has been manifest in the case of the Trident by the appearance of an anonymous Trident-knocking brochure comparing the Trident with the 727. DH responded with another brochure which was not anonymous. "This was the best demonstration we have done," said Air Cdre Banks, "and we haven't damned any other aeroplane in the process." There was no mystery, he said, as to why Japan was such an important market: "if we establish the Trident in the Far East others will come in and the market could mean orders for 30, 40 °J even 50 aircraft." He confirmed that on November 18 an All Nippon team will be visiting Hatfield for further talks (they are at Present in Seattle). The aircraft was flown by DH chief test pilot John Cunningham ^sisted by Capts A. S. Johnson, BEA Trident flight manager, and "• R. Mitchell of BEA. DH test pilot Peter Bugge was on board on the outward journey to Tokyo. Demonstrations were given in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Karachi and Damascus, and altogether 12 pilots flew the aircraft, representing JAL, All Nippon, Malayan Airways, Cathay Pacific, Philippine Airlines and PIA. John Cunningham was wearing BEA uniform (he is an honorary captain of the corporation, as are other prominent test pilots such as Jock Bryce and Peter Bugge). Immediately after his arrival he gave some straight answers to some straight questions at a press conference. The most quotable was his reply, amid laughter, to the question, "Why did you not take the Trident to Australia?" "We have more pressing things to do than show the Trident to airlines who have bought the other aircraft. There's no sense in casting ... I was going to say casting pearls before swine." A large number of questions were forthcoming and Mr Cunning ham gave the following information in the course of his replies. He was able to show the pilots of potential customers "everything they wanted to see"—high and low speed handling, including stalls; take-offs, landings, engine cuts and night flying. He had been "per fectly happy" to put All Nippon's Viscount pilots in the left-hand seat "in the certain knowledge that the Trident has no vices of any kind." One demonstration took the form of a simulated regular service between Tokyo and Chitose in Hokkaido, a 500 n.m. route on which 70-80 people were carried. All Nippon's route-structure, he said, was very similar to BEA's and the Trident would "fit straight into their pattern." This airline needed a jet to replace the Viscounts at present competing with JAL's Convair 880s. It was his impression that Boeing would not let All Nippon's Viscount pilots fly the 727—"this aircraft is not as straightforward as the Trident." He was "completely certain" that they had sold the aircraft to its fullest advantage and he thought that sales would probably be determined by delivery and price considerations. As for the Spey, this engine had given "faultless performance" through out the tour, and indeed throughout the whole development of the aircraft—"it is not super-sensitive and works as it should in all conditions of flight." He thought that JAL might replace the 880 if pressed to do so by the competition of the Trident, which was faster and "a great deal more economical." There was nothing peculiar about the limited sales to date of the Trident—and of the 727: "Airlines are suffering from a surplus of big jets and are only now assessing their requirements for a medium-range jet. One can see a market ahead for the Trident for many, many years." Progress of the Trident development programme—page 772.
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