"Tarver Engineering" wrote in message
...

"Spiv" wrote in message
...

"Brett" wrote in message
...

The USA did give tasters to many buyers.

True. OTOH at least one of the lost Comets was on some kind of
round
the
world publicity stunt. Same difference.

Boeing tasters were financial. The VC10 was a
superior plane to the 707 and it did not sell well either.

Vickers designed an aircraft to the questionable
requirements of a single customer.

It wasn't the requirements, it was the timing. When the VC10 appeared
on
the market it's competitors had already been in service for six and four
years and ironically the restricted 'hot and high' runways of Africa and
the
Middle East for which the Standard VC10 had specifically been developed
would eventually all be lengthened to accommodate the 707 and DC-8, in
the
process eliminating the VC10's main advantage. Had the original V.1000
been
built it would have been in time to compete but the VC10 was just too
late.

The VC10 was a superior plane with passengers loving it as the engines
were
all aft making the cabin quieter with less vibration. It was less
susceptible to turbulence with a superior wing design. It was more
expensive to operate. The Super VC10 was cheaper to run beating the US
planes. By then it was too late, Boeing and Douglas were entrenched in
the
world's airlines. Only much later did the Airbus knock Boeing off its
throne.

Airbus knocked BCAG off their throne?

Yes.....

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Airbus meets delivery goal to be 'market leader'

By ANDREA ROTHMAN
BLOOMBERG NEWS

Airbus delivered its 300th aircraft this year and plans "a few more" before
Dec. 31 to beat its target and overtake The Boeing Co. as the world's
biggest planemaker, Chief Executive Noel Forgeard said.

The goal was reached Friday evening when Airbus turned over Singapore
Airlines Ltd.'s first A340-500 long-haul plane, Forgeard said at his offices
in Toulouse, France.

This target of 300 deliveries by Airbus, a unit of European, Aeronautic
Defense & Space Co., exceeds Boeing's goal of 280 planes. Airbus' order
backlog stands at 1,500 planes versus 1,100 aircraft for Boeing, indicating
the planemaker will continue to deliver more aircraft per year in coming
years.

"Everyone was skeptical they could be equal with Boeing, but they have
achieved that and now they're No. 1," said Klaus Breil, who helps oversee
about $5.9 billion at Adig Investments in Frankfurt including 4 million
shares in EADS.

Airbus, which is 80 percent owned by EADS and 20 percent by BAE Systems, may
also beat Boeing on new orders for the fourth time in five years. Airbus
last year received orders for 300 planes against 251 for Boeing. In the
first 11 months of 2003, Airbus won contracts for 263 planes versus 229 at
Boeing.

"We are the market leader in new orders and backlog and this year in
deliveries," Forgeard said. "And we want to be the leader as preferred
supplier" to airlines.




---
--

Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.564 / Virus Database: 356 - Release Date: 20/01/2004