In article ,
"Spiv" writes:

"David Thornley" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Dave Holford wrote:

Spiv wrote:

Most of the bomber experience was transferred over to the 707. The
wings
are virtually the same angle and shape. In reality Uncle Sam paid the
lions
share of the 707s development.

Maybe DeHavilland should have transferred their extensive experience
with their highly successfull bomber - the Mosquito - to the Comet
project; then they might have had a winner?

Unless the Comet was made of wood, then it would have been dynamite.

Or not. Check out the record of the DeHavilland 91 Albatross, their just
pre-war 4-engine airliner. One of the most beutiful airplanes ever
made. And horrendously prone to strucural failure.


Remember that the Mosquito was used for passenger service in WWII,
probably being the fastest "airliner" of the time. It was, of course,
in a limited market niche....

In 1942, the US and the UK split some aircraft development with the USA
concentrating on transports. This put the UK back after WW2. Despite this
they still came up with the Comet, the world's first jet airliner, soon
after.

UMM.Hmm. Explain the following Brit wartime transport designs, then:
Avro 688 Tudor: Designed 1943-1945, 1st flight June, 1945.
Avro 685 York: 1st flight July, 1942
Bristol 170 Freighter: 1st Flight December 1945
Handley Page H.P.68 Hermes Designed 1943, Put on hold until the
failure of the Avro Tudor.
Handley Page Halton
Short S-25 Sunderland/Sandringham
Vickers-Armstron VC.1 Viking 1st Flight early 1945

There doesn't seem to have been any lack of effort.

Then there wre all the trnasport flavors of the
Whitley, Wellington, Warwick, Stirling, Halifax, and Lancaster.

So many prototypes, it almost seems German.

But the World, (And BOAC), bought DC-4s, Constellations, & Strats.
For one overriding reason: You could fly them over a useful range,
with a useful load, earn more money than it cost to own and run them.

Brit Airliners have, as a general rule, had problems with structural
weight fraction and thus payload/range tradeoffs.

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster