Trident 1E

The Trident, model DH121 or HS121, was a short/medium-range airliner designed by de Havilland in the 1950s, and built by the Hawker-Siddeley Group in the 1960s when de Havilland was merged, along with several other British aviation firms. Designed specifically to a British European Airways requirement, it had limited appeal to other airlines and sold only in small numbers. It was an important airliner in Europe but high operational costs doomed it to a short lifespan. British Airways chose to replace their fleet with the Boeing 737 and Boeing 757, and the Trident was taken out of service in the 1980s. However in China the Trident remained in military service as a VIP and troop carrier to the mid-1990s. Hawker Siddeley Trident 2; public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Hawker Siddeley Trident 2; public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... An Airbus A340 airliner operated by Air Jamaica An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft whose primary function is the transportation of paying passengers. ... Until 1920, Geoffrey de Havillands de Havilland Aircraft Company had been known as Airco, where he was owner and chief designer. ... The 1950s were a decade that spanned the years 1951 through 1960. ... Hawker-Siddeley was a British aircraft manufacturing company. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1961 to 1970, inclusive. ... Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ... For alternate usages of BEA see Bea (disambiguation). ... For the 1930s airline of similar name see British Airways Ltd British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ... The Boeing 737 is the worlds most popular medium range - narrow body commercial passenger jet aircraft. ... American Airlines Boeing 757 Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 at LAX in August 2003. ... MacGyver - 1980s hero The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ...

History

In July 1956 BEA offered a contract for a new medium-haul aircraft to replace their Vickers Viscount on their longer European routes with a jet-powered aircraft. The new aircraft would work beside a smaller design for shorter ranges, which would eventually emerge as the BAC 1-11. Several designs were returned for this longer range role, including the Bristol 200, the Avro 740, the Vickers VC11 and de Havilland's Airco DH.121. The DH.121 was selected as the winner in 1958. The Viscount was a medium-range turboprop airliner introduced in 1953 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world. ... The BAC 1-11, or One-Eleven, was a short-range jet airliner designed by Hunting Aircraft and produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) after Hunting was merged with several other British aviation firms in 1960. ...

The DH.121 was the first "tri-jet" design, a configuration the designers felt offered the ideal tradeoff between cruise economy and takeoff safety in case of an engine failure. The plane looked, perhaps unsurprisingly, like a smaller Comet with three engines, including a tail design similar to the Comet, as opposed to the T-tail it would later use. With the engines clustered at the rear as in the Sud Aviation Caravelle, the wing was left free from engine mounts and was designed with high-speed cruise in mind, with a speed of over 600 mph being the goal. The DH121 was to be powered by 13,790 lb_f (61.34 kN) Rolls-Royce Medway engines, have a gross weight of 150,000 lb (63,000 kg), a range of 2,070 mi (3,330 km), and seat 111 in a two-class layout. A trijet is an aircraft powered by three jet engines. ... Comet C. Mk2 of the Royal Air Force in 1964. ... In aircraft a T-tail is an arrangement of the tail control surfaces with the horizontal surfaces (tailplane and elevators) mounted to the top of the fin, rather than the more common location on the fuselage at the base of the fin. ... Sud Aviation Caravelle The SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner, produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 (when it was still known as SNCASE). ... In the physical sciences, weight by Definition VIII, per Newtons Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy or Principia, is an upward force exerted on matter to deny the body from entering freefall as a result of gravity, a centripetal accleration field. ...

At this point BEA decided that the 111-seat aircraft was too large for their existing routes, and they tried to carefully tailor "their" aircraft to their exact needs. The result was a downsizing of the Trident, powered by much smaller 9,850 lb_f (43.8 kN) Rolls-Royce Spey 505 engines, with a gross weight of 105,000 lb (48,000 kg), a range of 930 miles (1,500 km), and seating for 97. This version gained the T-tail it would have from then on, as well as a new nose design, both of which made it look very different from the Comet-like original version. BEA was happier with this smaller design (now known as the Trident 1 after BEA held a competition to name it) and placed a contract for 24 on August 12, 1959. The Spey is a low-bypass turbofan engine from Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 30 years. ... Gross weight is the total weight of an automobile when fully loaded with passengers and/or cargo. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Hawker-Siddeley Trident 1C, built 1962 and destroyed in a fire at London (Heathrow) Airport in 1975

Hawker Siddeley Aviation, which had formed in 1960, started looking for additional customers for the Trident, and entered discussions with American Airlines in 1960. They demanded longer range, somewhat ironic as the original DH.121 design would have filled their requirements almost perfectly. Nevertheless they started design work on a new Trident 1A, powered with uprated Spey 510s of 10,700 lb_f (47.6 kN) thrust, and a larger wing with more fuel, raising gross weight to 120,000 lb (54,000 kg) and range to 1,800 mi (2900 km). American Airlines eventually declined the aircraft in favour of the Boeing 727, an aircraft that filled the original DH.121 specifications almost exactly. Hawker-Siddeley Trident. ... Hawker-Siddeley Trident. ... Hawker-Siddeley was a British aircraft manufacturing company. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... American Airlines and American Eagle aircraft at San Juan American Airlines is the largest airline in the world in terms of total passengers transported, and the second-largest airline in the world (behind Air France-KLM) in terms of total operating revenues. ... Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newtons Second and Third Law. ... Mass is a property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter it contains. ... The Boeing 727 is a large, single-aisle (narrow-body) commercial jet airliner carrying as many as 189 passengers. ...

Some of these changes were nevertheless added into the original prototype, and it was eventually renamed the Trident 1C. The main difference was a larger fuel tank in the center section of the wing, raising weights to 115,00 lb (52,000 kg) and range to 1,400 mi (2,250 km). The first of the Trident 1, G-ARPA, made its first flight on January 9, 1962, and entered service on April 1, 1964. By 1965 there were 15 Tridents in the fleet and by March 1966 this had risen to 21. January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Hawker-Siddeley then proposed an improved 1C as the Trident 1E. This would use 11,400 lb_f (50.7 kN) Spey 511's, have a gross weight of 128,000 lb (58,000 kg), an increased wing area by extending the chord, and the same fuselage but with up to 140 seats in a six-abreast configuration. This specification took the 1C closer to the larger concept of the original DH.121, but powered with 7,000 lb_f (31 kN) less thrust. The wing, designed for high-speed, gave limited lift at lower speeds, and combined with the low power the takeoffs tended to be very long — it gained the nickname the "ground gripper" for the way it stuck to the runway, and it was also joked that Tridents only became airborne due to the curvature of the Earth. There were only a few sales of the new design: three each for Kuwait Airways and Iraqi Airways, four for PIA (later sold to CAAC), two each for Channel Airways and Northeast Airlines, and one for Air Ceylon. In reference to aircraft, chord refers to the distance between the front and back of a wing, measured in the direction of the normal airflow. ... Kuwait Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية الكويتية) is Kuwaits national and international airline and is wholly owned by the Kuwaiti Government. ... Iraqi Airways is the largest airline of Iraq. ... // Yellow Birds Around 1966, Northeast began repainting some of their aircraft and called their bright new yellow paint scheme The Yellowbird scheme. ... Air Ceylon was Sri Lankas (Ceylons) national carrier. ...

At this point BEA decided that the Trident was now too short-legged for their ever-expanding routes, and that an even longer-ranged version was needed. Hawker-Siddeley responded with another upgrade as the Trident 1F. It would have the Spey 511 engines, a 2.8-m fuselage stretch, a gross weight of 132,000 lb (60,000 kg) and up to 128 seats in the original five-abreast configuration. BEA planned to buy 10 1F's, plus an option for 14 aircraft. As work continued on the 1F the changes became so widespread that it was renamed the Trident 2E, E for Extended Range. Now powered by the newer Spey 512s with 11,930 lb_f (53.1 kN) thrust, it also replaced wing leading-edge droops with slats, and extended the span with Kuchemann-style tips. It had a gross weight of 142,400 lb (65,000 kg) and a 2,000 mile (3,200 km) range. BEA purchased 15, 2 for Cyprus Airways and 33 for CAAC, the Chinese national airline. The first flight of this version was made on July 27, 1967 and it entered service with BEA in April 1968. Cyprus Airways is the national airline of Cyprus, based in Nicosia. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ...

By this point the Trident was becoming the backbone of the BEA fleet and BEA wanted an even larger design. Hawker-Siddeley offered two new designs in 1965, a larger 158-seat two-engine aircraft otherwise similar to the Trident known as the HS.132, and the 185-seat HS.134 which moved the engines under the wings and led to a modern-looking design very similar to the Boeing 757. Both were to be powered by a new high-bypass engine currently under development, the RB.178. BEA instead decided to purchase 727s and 737s to fill the role of both the 1-11 and Trident, but this plan was later vetoed by the government (the owners of BEA). American Airlines Boeing 757 Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 at LAX in August 2003. ...

BEA returned to Hawker-Siddeley and instead chose a stretched version of the basic Trident, the HS.121 or Trident 3. The 3 included a fuselage stretch of 5 m for up to 180 passengers, raised the gross weight to 143,000 lb (65,000 kg), and made modifications to the wings to increase its chord. However the engines remained the same, and BEA rejected the design as being unable to get off the ground in "hot and high" conditions, given that the 2E was having so many problems already. Since the Spey 512 was the last of the Spey line extra power would be difficult to add. Instead of attempting to fit a new engine, which would be difficult given that one was buried in the tail, Hawker-Siddeley decided to add a fourth engine in the tail, the tiny RB.162 turbojet, fed from its own intake behind a pair of moveable doors. The engine added 15% more thrust for takeoff, while adding only 5% more weight, and would only be used when needed. BEA accepted this somewhat odd mixture as the Trident 3B. BEA ordered 26, the first flight was on December 11th, 1969, entering service on April 1st, 1971. Addition of extra fuel capacity resulted in the Super Trident 3B, two of which were sold to CAAC. In aviation, hot and high is the ability of an airplane to operate safely from airports in very warm climates or very high elevations. ...

An interesting feature of the Trident was its use in the development of a completely automatic blind landing system. This allowed the plane to land itself in conditions that would cause other planes to have to divert to alternate airports, thereby improving its on-time ratings.

In 1977, fatigue cracks were discovered in the wings of British Airways' Trident 3s. The aircraft were ferried back to the manufacturer where repairs were made and each aircraft returned to service.

In total only 117 Tridents were produced. The great irony is that the 727, built to the original Trident specification, sold over 1,700 airframes.

Unfortunately no Trident in flying status remains, but there are some excellent models, perfectly rendered in every aspect, for the popular Microsoft Flight Simulator computer program.

Four complete aircraft are preserved in the United Kingdom, a Trident 1C, G-ARPH at Cosford in Shropshire, a Trident 2E, G-AVFB at Duxford near Cambridge, a Trident 3B, G-AWZM in the Science Musum exhibit store at Wroughton in Wiltshire and another Trident 3B, G-AWZK, currently at Heathrow awaiting move to the Aviation Viewing Park at Manchester Airport. All these aircraft served in the British Airways fleet.

Accidents

• On June 18, 1972, a Trident 1, G-ARPI crashed on takeoff from Heathrow Airport, killing all on board after hitting the ground at nearby Staines. At the time this was the worst air crash to have occurred on British soil. See Staines air disaster.

• On September 10, 1976, a Trident 3B, G-AWZT collided mid-air with an Inex Adria McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, YU-AJR, over Yugoslavia, killing all on both aircraft. This collision was attributed to Air Traffic Control error.

• On September 13, 1971, Lin Biao's prearranged Trident crashed in Mongolia under mysterious circumstances during an attempt by Lin and his family to defect to the Soviet Union. Official PRC accounts claim that the plane ran out off fuel during its trip.

• On March 14, 1979, a Trident 2E crashed into a factory near Beijing, killing at least 200. According to another source, this crash was caused by an unqualified pilot who stole and flew the plane. That source mentions total fatalities of all 12 crew, 32 ground, and no passengers. (see discussion)

• On August 31, 1988, the right outboard flap of a CAAC Trident 2B hit approach lights of runway 31 of Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport while landing under rain and fog. The right main landing gear then struck a lip and collapsed, causing the aircraft to run off the runway and slip into the harbour. 7 were killed.

June 18 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (170th in leap years), with 196 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... London Heathrow Airport (IATA airport code: LHR, ICAO airport code: EGLL, and often simply Heathrow) is the United Kingdoms busiest and best-connected airport. ... Staines is a Thames-side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and part of the London Commuter Belt of South East England. ... On June 18th, 1972, British European Flight 548, a Hawker-Siddeley Trident 1B, G-ARPI, of British European Airways (BEA) crashed two minutes after takeoff from Heathrow Airport, killing all 118 passengers and crew on board. ... September 10 is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... The Zagreb mid-air collision refers to one of the worst accidents in aviation history. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Lin Biao (Chinese: 林彪; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Lin Piao) (December 5, 1907 - September 13, 1971) was a Chinese Communist military and political leader, once known as Mao Zedongs comrade-in-arms, but later condemned as a traitor. ... PRC is a common abbreviation for: Peoples Republic of China Palestinian Red Crescent Popular Resistance Committees This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Beijing (Chinese: 北京; ; IPA: ), a city in northern China (formerly spelled in English as Peking or Peiking), is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (中国民用航空总局, Pinyin: Zhōngguó Mínyòng Hángkōng ZÇ’ngjú), most widely recognized by the initials CAAC, is an administrative body under the State Council of the Peoples Republic of China that oversees civil aviation in mainland China. ... Hong Kong International Airport, popularly known as Kai Tak Airport (Chinese å•Ÿå¾·æ©Ÿå ´ Pinyin: Qǐdé, WG: Chi-te) was the international airport of Hong Kong until July 6, 1998. ...

Trivia

The Trident has a very distinctive offset front landing gear. The reason it was designed this way was to accommodate the Smiths Automatic Blind Landing System computers.

The Trident was the first commercial aircraft to be fitted with a Flight Data Recorder. An example of a Flight Data Recorder The flight data recorder (FDR) is a flight recorder used to record specific aircraft performance parameters. ...

The Trident performed the first automatic blind landing in 1966, pioneering the ability to land in fog, something that had previously caused many problems at London Heathrow and resulted in thousands of cancellations and delays.

With the ability of engaging thrust reversers in flight, the Trident could safely decend at 10,000 feet per minute, though this capability was rarely used.

The Trident was one of the fastest subsonic commercial airliners, regularly cruising at over 600mph.

In some configurations, BEA (later British Airways) Trident aircraft had a number of rearward facing passenger seats, an uncommon seating arrangement for civil aircraft. For alternate usages of BEA see Bea (disambiguation). ... For the 1930s airline of similar name see British Airways Ltd British Airways (LSE: BAY, NYSE: BAB) is the largest airline of the United Kingdom. ...

Models

Trident 1C, 24 built

Trident 1E, 15 built

Trident 2E, 50 built

Trident 3B, 28 built

Specifications

For Trident 2E:

Length: 35 m

Span: 28.9 m

Height: 8.3 m

Max cruise speed: 525 kt (972 km/h)

Max range: 2,400 mi (3,860 km)

Service ceiling: 27,000 to 36,000 ft (8,000 to 11,000 m)

Empty weight:

Max takeoff weight: 143,500 lb (65,000 kg)

Engines: 3x Rolls-Royce RB.163-25 Spey 512, 11,930 lb_f (53.1 kN) thrust

Accommodations: 3 crew + 149 passengers

For Trident 3B:

Length: 40 m

Span: 28.9 m

Height: 8.6 m

Max cruise speed: 573 mph (936 km/h)

Max range: 1,800 miles (3060 km)

Service ceiling: 27,000 - 36,000 ft

Empty weight: 83,104 lb (37,695 kg)

Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (70,300 kg)

Engines: 3× Rolls-Royce RB.163-25 Spey 512, 11,930 lb_f (53.1 kN) thrust + 1× Rolls-Royce RB.162-86, 5,250 lb_f (23.4 kN) thrust

Accommodations: 3 crew +

Military Operators

• China.

Further information

The Trident Preservation Society

Site dedicated to the preservation of a Trident 3B, G-AWZK ("ZuluKilo")