Originally Posted by
bean
They weren't told to by them, they opted to buy them to try to obtain trooping contracts which were just being introduced
I think that's rather a "Sir Humphrey" usage of the expression "they opted". The three independents who were short-listed for the trooping contracts - Airwork, Britavia and Skyways - all wanted to have DC-6s for the work, some of which were coming onto the secondhand market from early adopters in the USA. But they were "told" that such aircraft would be unacceptable, they had to be British - and that all that was available was the Hermes. The contracts were given out by the Ministry of Defence, who seem to have been at loggerheads with the Ministry of Transport, who wanted to give the work to their own BOAC.
they were certified as safe by the ARB and the A&AEE
Ah yes. Probably the same people who certified the Comet 1.
The reason the Hermes was a disaster for BOAC was appalling payload/range particularly in tropical locations.
Indeed. Gets back to the drag issue. I did a post here in ... gosh, 2008 ... about these trooping flights on the Hermes, to Singapore, describing not only all the stops needed but also the appalling catering provided :
Commentary on "The Good Old Days" of Airline Travel - Page 2 - PPRuNe Forums