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I don't think there is much what-ifs there, too small (40 passengers) and range too short (1200 miles). The advantage of jetliners over props/turboprops wasn't
by valuearb 9y ago
I don't think there is much what-ifs there, too small (40 passengers) and range too short (1200 miles). The advantage of jetliners over props/turboprops wasn't in cost, it was in speed and comfort (higher cruising altitudes) and both advantages are reduced on smaller routes.
The 707 held 140 passengers and had a 2400 mile range. They sold a thousand of them.
The Comet was similar in size to the C102, but had more range. They only sold 117 of all variants up through the Comet 4 (though obviously the metal fatigue crashes affected sales).
The Sud Caravelle, which launched a few years later, eventually sold 280 units, but it was twice the size and twin engined, so it's operating economics were likely much better.
Avro was really early, and their original funding from TCA had ridiculous conditions that would have crippled them. Fortunately they pulled out. But still too early, and I think they would have only had a chance if they designed significantly more range. Then they could have stolen the Comet market after it's crashes, and probably sold even better, given their use of round windows from the beginning.
- soperj 9y ago707 came a decade later...
- valuearb 9y agoMore like 8 years, it took that long for an economically viable jetliner to be created. The 707 was viable because it was far larger and had enormous range, it revolutionized long distance travel.
- mannykannot 9y agoMaybe it would have succumbed to the Boeing juggernaut, but Howard Hughes was so keen to get 30 Jetliners for TWA's New York - Miami route that he was almost able to set up a deal for Convair to build them under license, after Avro declined to do so itself. I imagine it might have been attractive for the NY - Chicago, Boston - NY - Washington and LA - SF routes as well. In the end, the first turbine-engined airliners in North American service were Vickers Viscount turboprops, with a 1400 mile range.
- valuearb 9y agoA 1940s era Lockheed Constellation cruised at 345 mph, the C102 at 420 mph. The difference on the C102's longest possible route (NYC-Miami) might about 3 hours 15 minutes for the jetliner and 4 hours for the Constellation. Meanwhile the Constellation 1) Can fly up to twice as many passengers. 2) Was almost certainly less expensive to operate. 3) Has over 4x the range. If you ran an airline, which would you choose? And that's on a long route, on a 500 mile route the difference in flight time would be maybe twenty minutes. And it was just a couple years from the DC-7, which was a turboprop that flew nearly as fast as the C102, was twice the size and also a massive range. And again cheaper to operate. If the C102 had a 2,500+ mile range I think it would have a much better opportunity. Flying people from NY to LA at in 6 hours instead of 8 and at a much more comfortable altitude would be a much more significant difference.
- mannykannot 9y agoAll I can say is that Howard Hughes did run an airline, and he apparently wanted the Jetliner quite badly.