There was an article in "The Aeroplane" last year about the Trident, including interviews with designers etc.
The designers knew they had a decent product, and when they were asked to scale the aircraft down, refused, and were eventually overruled by DH bosses, under pressure from BEA
My question is, could they not have either a) told BEA to stuff it, had a bit of confidence in their a/c and sold it as it was? After all, the 727 (which was very close to the Trident's original spec) sold thousands, and im pretty sure that there were a number of airlines showing interest in the original spec a/c?
or b) scaled the aircraft down in such a way that it could easily been stretched, like (for example) the Airbus A320, or MD-80 series?
As an aside, does anyone have any info about the Trident proposal for the Shackleton replacement contract (that went, ultimately, for the Nimrod)? and does the Panel feel that the Trident would have made a suitable MR aircraft?
TTR