It’s time for another Great British tragedy - perhaps an even greater travesty with more profound effects on the British aircraft industry than the balls up that led to the TSR2 cancellation. I’m talking of course about the decision to axe the Vickers V1000/VC7. This time round the ball was well and truly dropped. This tale of woe and incompetence, on a scale not seen since the fall of Singapore, starts in 1951 where the government issued a specification for a long range transport to replace the piston powered variants in use. One of the conditions specified the type to be based on an existing design. In wades Vickers (amongst 4 others) to submit a design based on the valiant bomber - the eagle eyed may spot the similarities with the wing design and hence how and when I stumbled on this little number! It eventually got the go ahead amidst orders placed by the RAF and interest from BOAC, Trans Canada, BEA and even Pan American showing considerable interest. She came in a little heavy with the fuel required for trans-Atlantic crossing and the passenger specifications (6 abreast seating being quite unique for the time)and would require the planned Rolls Royce Conway’s to be upgraded. For some reason (dodgy back room dealing perhaps) BOAC decided to cool interest - some suggest BOAC planned to procure American aircraft from the start. Vickers planned the first prototype flight in ‘56 and to enter service late ‘59, around the time of the B-707. The death knell in the end came at around 75% completion to the sound of RAF austerity measures, BOAC incomprehensible requirements (looking at supersonic airliners by the mid 60s for instance) and government backing for existing projects such as the Britannia and comet. Chief designer Sir George Edwards lamented rather stoically, we just handed the lead in jet airliner technology to the Americans for generations to come. What’s even more sad of those words he should have just inserted the words for ever... (see comments for handling out of space here!)