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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 2080.PDF
FLIGHT International, 28 November 1963 © lliffe Transport Publications Ltd 1963 ,6, (5Ti.x20^ 2,(64 x2Si PROMT FR£J6ttr tfOLt> 465 cu ft HAWKER SIDDELEY D.H. 121 TRIDENT IE 7, 54- x4S^ 'Flight International" operators' reference drawing (see page 862 for key) QHQU Commercial Aircraft of the World operated during 1952-54. The Comet 4 is a revised version with more power, range and payload and incorporating the structural knowledge gained in the accidents of 1954. BOAC inaugurated the first transatlantic jet services with Comet 4s on October 4, 1958. D.H.106 Comet 4B The Comet 4B was evolved to interest BEA in a "first generation" jet. Fourteen 4B's have been delivered to BEA and four to Olympic Airways. Main difference compared with the Comet 4 is a 6ft 6in longer fuselage seating up to 102 passengers. To allow higher cruising speeds at lower altitudes, wing span is reduced by 7ft 2in and the Comet 4B's medium-range role enables the pod-type wing tanks to be deleted. D.H.106 Comet 4C The Comet 4C is the intermediate-range version of the Comet family. It combines the 4B's longer fuselage with the Comet 4's wing and fuel tankage; this enables it to carry more passengers than the Mk 4 at a slight sacrifice in maximum range. A list of Comet orders appears on page 900. D.H.121 Trident Mk 1C BEA issued a general specification for a "second-genera tion" jet airliner to the British aircraft industry in July 1956. Not until February 1958, after a long-drawn-out political controversy, were BEA allowed to place a provisional order for the D.H.121. Though de Havilland were prepared to finance the aircraft alone, in accordance with Government policy the Airco consortium was formed with Fairey and Hunting to design, manufacture and develop the D.H.121, which was named Trident in September 1960. This consortium was aban doned when de Havilland became merged into Hawker Siddeley Aviation during 1960, and Hunting and Fairey found themselves in another grouping, though these companies are still Trident subcontractors. The original D.H.121 Flight, July 25, 1958, p. 120) was a 111-seater (max) with a take-off weight of 123,0001b. Powerplant was three Rolls-Royce RB. 141s of 12,0001b static thrust. During the early months of 1959, as RB.141 power increased, it became apparent that the 121 had grown too large for BEA's require ments. The design was revised around three Rolls-Royce RB.163s of 10,1001b static thrust each, with a max weight of 105,0001b (since increased to 115,0001b) and seating reduced to a maximum of 103. The engines are rear-mounted, and the triple-turbofan formula is claimed to satisfy most efficiently the thrust requirements of take-off and cruise ("with four engines the aircraft would be overpowered on take-off, and with two would be overpowered in the cruise"). The broad strategy of the Trident might be summed up as a 600 m.p.h. jet with a 6,000ft take-off and "optimized" economics for the shorter trunk-route stages of up to 1,000 miles, or in developed versions well over 2,000 miles. A firm contract for 24 aircraft for delivery to BEA from mid-1963 was signed on August 12, 1959. All 24 aircraft should be delivered by September 1965. First flight of the 121 was on January 9, 1962. Six aircraft are now flying and the type will enter service with BEA early in 1964. From the outset the Trident, with its triplex control system (Smiths), is designed for autoflare, with full automatic landing envisaged before 1970. Trident IE This development of the Trident 1C is powered either by the Rolls-Royce Spey 163-2W, with water injection to restore power under high-temperature conditions, or by the more powerful Spey 25. The original Trident airfield performance was designed sim ply to meet BEA's requirements. For world sales a better performance was found necessary, and in the 1E this has been achieved with a 5ft-greater wing span and revised leading-edge lift devices (slats instead of droop, with Kriiger flaps inboard). Although the IE is not expected to fly before 1964, the leading-edge modifications have been flight tested on a Trident 1C. Take off weight of the IE has been increased to 130,0001b, and with additional fuel tankage the IE can carry 109 passengers on stages of up to 1,900 miles. Better use of interior space is achieved by a revised arrangement of the KtAK r,-. HOI* z0 ' © lliffe Transport Publications Ltd 1963
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