Research on the BAC 1-11 electrical systems

[Chris Scott]

Ground School

Krakatoa,

Can only assume you may have been late coming to the One-Eleven. In my day (as late as 1977) it was still "talk and chalk"; and my hand-written notes are still in the garage somewhere. How much is it worth if I promise not to resurrect them?

At least two of the ground instructors at British Caledonian (Gatwick) had been involved in One-Eleven design at BAC: Doug Realff (Hydraulics, L/G and F/CTLs) and Pete Horscroft (Pneumatics & Air Con, but he also taught Electrics). And bl***y good they were too. They were criticised by some (pilots, mainly) for including too much "nice-to-know" stuff, but we missed them enormously in 1984, when embarking on the A310 VACBI at Toulouse. Now that system - with monochrome graphics the speed of slow-drying paint - really could have you nodding off, especially in the darkened rooms. [The only answer was to stroll off to the coffee bar for yet another grande-crême, served by a lady in tight leather trousers.]

TheChitterneFlyer's impressive output is, on the contrary, quite riveting (flush ones, of course). Thanks, TCF.


Hi411A,

You are right about 2-crew being normal on short-haul, although the B737 - which post-dated the One-Eleven by some years - was the first 2-crew Boeing jet.

Yes, splitting spoilers on the 707 was the initial action to assist pitch control with a jammed stabiliser. If it happened at cruise speed, for example, you needed to extend just the outer spoilers as you slowed down. The 707 was/is a fantastic airplane, but its much-evolved 1950s systems were archaic in comparison with the 1960s VC10. And, before you remind us how uneconomical the "Ten" was, remember that fewer than 50 were ever built, so it never had the chance to evolve. The superb 707-320s most of us flew in the 1970s were the result of resourceful tweaking of tweaking. The overall concept was classic brilliance; the cockpit and systems mainly agricultural. They wouldn't stand a chance of type certification today, because there is so little redundancy in some key areas. Operating them was a challenge; when you got it right it was rewarding.

The One-Eleven, on the other hand, got its systems right from the start (as did the 3-crew VC10). Yes, it had a deep-stall problem that was duly overcome. Yes, it was soon in need of further stretching and a more competitive engine. Yes, the money wasn't available in post-war Britain.