NEW BRITISH REAR-ENGINED AIRLINER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29513, 15 May 1961, Page 13

NEW BRITISH REAR-ENGINED AIRLINER

An order worth more than £Bm has been placed with the British Aircraft Corporation by British United Airways for 10 B.A.C. OneEleven rear-engined jet airliners. Deliveries will start in the spring of 1964. In addition, the company has an option on five more of the aircraft. The B.A.C. One-Eleven is the first civil aircraft to be designed and planned by the aircraft team of the new British Aircraft Corporation, comprising the aircraft and guided weapon interests of Bristol Aeroplane, English Electric, Vickers, and Hunting. Sir George Edwards, executive director (aircraft) of the British Aircraft Corporation. said that the first design of an aeroplane of this type came from Hunting with their Type 107. After the merger, a joint Vickers - Hunting - Bristol study} was made of this aircraft and its market. It be-

came clear that there were, in fact ,two markets. One wasj for an airliner somewhat larger, heavier and having a higher powerweight ratio than the original 107, and the other was for an aeroplane very akin to the 107. “After a very careful evaluation, we have decided to go ahead immediately with the larger version, which is known now as the B.A.C. One-Eleven, and to follow this up—about a year later—with the lighter B.A.C. 107,” he said. “These two aircraft are complementary and stand in something like the relationship of the Viscount 700 series to the Viscount 800 series. In this case, however, we are building the larger aeroplane first—reversing the order that was followed with the Viscount.” The B.A.C. One-Eleven is a 540-mile-an-hour short-range aeroplane capable of carrying up to 69 tourist passengers at what are stated to be “better

than Viscount economics.” It will have spacious fiveabreast seating. The aircraft will have two jet engiines mounted at the rear of the fuselage. This confers many advantages of cabin quiet, safety. and efficiency, while leaving the wings clean, thus providing the take-off and landing performance essential to a shorthaul airliner. The B.A.C. One-Eleven will be able to carry its standard full complement of 57 mtxedclass passengers and baggage at 500 miles an hour for stages of 800 statute miles, with two hours’ reserves. It w’ill also be able to carry 43 passengers for 1200 miles — a payload range combination almost identical with the successful Viscount 800. On shorter hauls (up to 450 statute miles, with two hours' reserves) 69 tourist passengers and baggage can be carried, or 57 passengers and more than a ton of freight. The aircraft has been designed for profitable operation from typical secondary

airports throughout the world. The runway required for take-off at maximum weight, for example, is 4800 ft under standard conditions at sea level. Noise levels of the aircraft at take-off will be well below the normal permitted maximum and it will be very significantly quieter than present jets.- Its rapid rate of climb will ensure that inconvenience to house-holders near airports will be much less than that caused by current aircraft. The B.A.C. One-Eleven will have Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines of some 98501 b thrust each. The Spey will be in the Trident at the end of this year and will, therefore, be a readily available and proven engine by 1963. Tire B.A.C. 107 will have two Bristol Siddeley 75 turbo, fan engines each of 73501 b thrust. The two aircraft will bear a strong superficial resemblance but the B.A.C. 107 will be shorter and lighter, with less sophisticated equipment.