Yes, the ATP (Another Technical Problem) wasnt all it was cracked up to be... Sad though as it came from a true leader of its time (HS748). There was plenty of scope for it to be a great aircraft, as the 748 operators (in partucular BA shorthaul/highlands and Islands) were all waiting with baited breath for this new wonderful aircraft, to replace the 748 and F27 and some of the smaller jets on thinner routes ie BAC1-11, DC9 and F28 etc...
On paper it looked great. Excellent economics and savings but In reality it was a disaster, as noted in previous posts. Its like everything else - Great idea chaps, lets rush it out as soon as possible! Developement was short, and backup was lacking...
British aircraft manufacturers were the envy of the world - what ever happened... We stood out and produced some of the finest aircraft both civil and military in the world. Viscount, Herald, Comet, Trident, VC10 and BAC 1-11 to name a few. All the factories designing, testing and building. Look at the British Aviation industry now. There isnt one! Visited Farnborough in July, and to be honest, it could have been in any country as the British precence was very much lacking - in every respect. (It was an expensive excursion too, with transport costing around £20.00 return frim LHR)
The (HS146), BAe146/Avro was our last attempt to sort things and get back on track, but that too 'landed short' of expectations. Great idea but as with the ATP underdeveloped, lacked in initial support, and lagged behind whilst other caught up. It is still a good aircraft but still unreliable, slow and takes for ever to climb when full...
Dont get me wrong. Iam a British national who supports my country in every respect, in particular the aviation sector but it is sad that we no longer have an industry. We led the way and have now lost our way.
Last edited by tristar500; 16th Aug 2006 at 16:35.