Case Specific - Hawker Siddeley Trident

Video from the channel Ruairidh MacVeigh about Hawker Siddeley Trident, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 18:21. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

A documentary by Ruairidh MacVeigh about the Hawker Siddeley Trident: its gestation for British European Airways, its rivalry with the Boeing 727, its evolution and its accident record.

In July 1956 BEA called for a short-range jet with more than two engines. The Bristol Type 200, the Avro 740, the Vickers VC11 and de Havilland's DH.121 competed, and the DH.121 was chosen. In February 1958 de Havilland, Hunting and Fairey formed Airco, and a technical exchange with Boeing ended up benefiting the 727. In 1959 BEA demanded a smaller aircraft, which switched to Rolls-Royce Spey engines and 75 to 97 seats, and on 24 August of that year ordered 24 units and 12 options. Hawker Siddeley later absorbed de Havilland. The prototype flew on 9 January 1962 and the aircraft entered service with BEA on 1 April 1964.

The 1C was followed by the 1E; the 2E, the best-selling version; and the 3B, a stretched version with an RB.162 auxiliary engine. Only two Super 3Bs were built. China's CAAC received 38 aircraft. Production ended in 1978 with 117 Tridents, against 1,832 Boeing 727s. British Airways used them until 1985 and CAAC until 1995. Among its accidents are BEA Flight 548 near Staines in 1972, with 118 dead, and the mid-air collision over Zagreb in 1976.