Originally Posted by Conan the Librarian
While Boeing and Douglas gave Britain a lesson in marketing and stuffed the VC-10, they pulled the same stunt on the Trident too.
Conan
True, but magnificent aeroplane though the '10 was, wasn't it designed for BOAC to get into and out of short, hot & high fields in pre-747days? Hence it had a lot of wing, which didn't help its cruise performance.
Soon after the VC10 went into service, those short runways were extended to accomodate the 747, and that superb short-field performance was not required any more....