Originally Posted by
smallfry
What would it take to dust off the old blue prints, modernise the avionics, engines and systems, get them through certification and build them?
I would have thought that what it would take would be roughly equal to the effort and resources required to design a new aeroplane, fitted to contemporary circumstances (when we find out what they are going to be). Could be a bit more, who knows?
That is not to dismiss the idea entirely. In an age when "Mini" and "Fiat 500" are used as car badges, retro and nostalgia obviously have an appeal, and there might be a point in incorporating a few styling cues from the old machine. One might get another percentage point or two of margin in the premium market by dressing the cabin crew in swinging '60s gear, and maybe even have the cockpit announcements made by someone channeling the old BOAC barons.
But with all those aeroplanes sitting in the sun, decaying as slowly as possible, just in case they'll ever be needed again, I don't think it would work commercially. Not to mention the fact that the UK counted in the industrial world when it was innovative.