Airbus - interesting perspective on its history

[Hobbes]

The Smithsonian air & space magazine has an overview of Airbus' history. It's an old article (2003) that contrasts Airbus with European collaboration efforts that had gone before (Concorde, for example).

http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/cit-sweetman.html?c=y&story=fullstory

[PR19_Kit]

Tridents '.....were like smallish 727s.....'?

No, 727s were like largish Tridents actually. And yes, I AM biased.....

[jcf]

Tridents '.....were like smallish 727s.....'?

No, 727s were like largish Tridents actually. And yes, I AM biased.....

Nah, Trident was a three-engined Caravelle. 

The screaming irony is the original Trident config was for an aircraft similar in size to the 727,
until BEA panicked and had De Havilland cut it down in size and capability. 

Evidently Boeing, and De Havilland, were concerned about the French reaction as SUD had
filed a patent in 1953 covering the engine layout.
http://www.google.com/patents/US2863620

[Captain Canada]

You guys crack me up.....

Interesting article. I'll have to print it out and give the rest of it a read !

As for patenting an aeroplane layout....seems ridiculous to me. Would be like a patent over the round shape of a wheel.....

[kitnut617]

As for patenting an aeroplane layout....seems ridiculous to me. Would be like a patent over the round shape of a wheel.....

Yeah! if you take all the bullsh%t the computer guys keep giving to each other you'd think there was a patent on a round wheel ---

[PR19_Kit]

The screaming irony is the original Trident config was for an aircraft similar in size to the 727,
until BEA panicked and had De Havilland cut it down in size and capability. 

Tell me about it! 

All through the 60s and 60s BEA and BOAC acted as if they were God and that they were the ONLY two airlines in the wolrd that counted for Brit airliner manufacturers. How dumb can you get?

[rickshaw]

The screaming irony is the original Trident config was for an aircraft similar in size to the 727,
until BEA panicked and had De Havilland cut it down in size and capability. 

Tell me about it! 

All through the 60s and 60s BEA and BOAC acted as if they were God and that they were the ONLY two airlines in the wolrd that counted for Brit airliner manufacturers. How dumb can you get?

What was even more terrible was that the manufacturers accepted that position.  BOAC was the second worst enemy that the SBAC ever had (the UK government being of course the worst).   If the SBAC had simply said, "we design to the world market" they'd have found everybody beating a path to their door 'cause they usually had better products before the American manufacturers did.   

[lancer]

Wasn't BOAC once referred to as the Boeing ONLY Airline Company?  It certainly did a number on the VC10 and the Brittania!! Aircraft it had ordered and specified and then cut the legs out from under them.....