VC 10 Success
The primary reason no British designed airliner has been a commercial success is because they have always been designed for the 'Empire routes' i.e England to Australia/ New Zealand and Africa. With the necessary stops along the way, range was never a problem. Unlike the U.S builders who only had to look a little further than coast to coast, to incorporate an Atlantic range crossing in the original design. Also, American companies could offer better financing terms and B.O.A.C was deeply in bed with the big three, it is easy to see how the British projects dropped out of the race.
I was told by a Boeing man, when they were having problems with the 727 they got a great deal of information from HS, and said they would never have given such detail, and freedom of the factory to anybody. I was carefully escorted around with my camera when I wanted to take photos of my company's aircraft during production.