TWO icons of the British aviation industry are being retired as part of the British defence cuts announced this week. The Nimrod anti-submarinne aircraft, which is based on the Comet jet airliner and the Harrier, have all fallen victims to the defence cutbacks. It is a sad end for two aircraft which could have revolutionised the aviation industry.
The Comet was the first jet airliner in the world but unfortunately as a result of a design flaw it never really took off leaving the door open for Boeing to corner the market. The Nimrod has been in service since the 1960s which clearly shows that the Comet was an excellent aircraft and in most cases was a world beater. Probably its biggest mistake was that it was built and designed in Britain. Then there is the Harrier, one of Britain´s greatest inventions.
The design has been copied by the U.S. and the aircraft in its old and new versions still serves in their armed forces. The Harrier also flies from Spanish and Italian aircraft carriers. The fact that it is being retired by the very country that built it, is very sad. What would have happened if Britain had continued with the design work and actually built a vertical landing jet airliner. The story would have been very different and Britain would be a world aviation player.
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