TV Series

[smudge56]

Just finish watching a British BBC series called 'Cold War, Hot Jets'. I actually didn't realise how advanced we were in the aviation industry in the 50s and 60s. We just couldn't keep up the costs we were paying 10% of the country's gnp. We were starting to produce even better aircraft to replace the V aircraft and it was all stopped. Very interesting anyhow.

[mattpenfold]

I can highly recomend "Empire of the Skies" by James Hamilton-Patterson, which about the post-war British aircraft industry. You can get it cheap from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Empire-Clouds-B ... 0571247954

[smudge56]

Cheers thanks for that mate I'll take a look.

[Adam106]

ORIGINAL: Blighty56

Just finish watching a British BBC series called 'Cold War, Hot Jets'. I actually didn't realise how advanced we were in the aviation industry in the 50s and 60s. We just couldn't keep up the costs we were paying 10% of the country's gnp. We were starting to produce even better aircraft to replace the V aircraft and it was all stopped. Very interesting anyhow.

Indeed. That better aircraft was the TSR 2. It would have been a world beater, although it was a little too ambitious for the computer technology available at the time. A great shame it was cancelled. Indecently the TSR 2 is available in the Command cold war database - I just wish someone would create a suitable 'what if' scenario...They would be based at Coningsby...

[Dimitris]

TSR.2 what-if: http://hushkit.wordpress.com/2012/05/14 ... -the-myth/

[CaptCarnage]

ORIGINAL: Sunburn

TSR.2 what-if: http://hushkit.wordpress.com/2012/05/14 ... -the-myth/

Mmm
They are not very nice about it!

[mattpenfold]

You could have said the same thing about the Handley Page Victor, and look what a good aircraft that turned out to be.

[Tellboy24]

Say what you want to about the TSR2, it was a real missed opportunity that ultimately lead the demise of the British aircraft industry. There are several good books on the subject all of which show how advanced it was and what potential it had. Yes it was expensive, and much of the technology took too long to work, but boy was it ahead of it's time! Even the Aussies wanted it..... eventually! The irony was that the alternatives that were supposedly cheaper, worked out to be more expensive and the time delays were excruciating whilst waiting for the issues with the F111 to be eliminated,for example.

Successive British governments killed the industry through stupid and unfounded "research" that gave away the technological lead in aircraft research that Britain had enjoyed for decades. Yes, it would have been overtaken by everybody eventually, but why give it away like we did... It's sad, but hey that's Britain!

[smudge56]

Yes that was the last plane they talked about killed off by the new incoming government. Nice to know it's in the database.

Also just watched the documentary about thd vulcan bomber attack on the airfield on the Falklands during the war in 82. It's amazing how we cobbled that together, we are an industrious nation when we have no money and nearly no aircraft to do it.

ORIGINAL: Adam106

ORIGINAL: Blighty56

Just finish watching a British BBC series called 'Cold War, Hot Jets'. I actually didn't realise how advanced we were in the aviation industry in the 50s and 60s. We just couldn't keep up the costs we were paying 10% of the country's gnp. We were starting to produce even better aircraft to replace the V aircraft and it was all stopped. Very interesting anyhow.

Indeed. That better aircraft was the TSR 2. It would have been a world beater, although it was a little too ambitious for the computer technology available at the time. A great shame it was cancelled. Indecently the TSR 2 is available in the Command cold war database - I just wish someone would create a suitable 'what if' scenario...They would be based at Coningsby...