INCIDENTALLY: Blair Force One
Following last week”s COMMENT column concerning the lack of specialist
air correspondents, which seems to have been well received, we
reproduce the following from that hallowed institution The Times.
””as the heavy 1960s airliner struggled to get up any speed.” A
slightly worrying statement. One wonders if that most experienced of
aviators, HRH Prince Philip, might get concerned.
The lady writer, who to spare her blushes we will not name, was
describing the Vickers VC10, a stately old warhorse and still the
backbone RAF 32 Squadron, usually called ”The Queens Flight”. The VC
is capable of cruising at 500 knots at 35,000 ft, quicker than the
Boeing 767. As an airliner it was extremely popular with passengers.
”Even short hops took hours, ” said The Times deputy political editor.
We are certain the Prince would have noticed. He takes hops in
helicopters and used to fly them too.
For short trips she goes on to mention the ”Canada Air” corporate jet,
which we think is her understanding for the Bombardier (formerly
Canadair) Challenger series. No mention of the de Havilland, HS, BAe
and now Raytheon Hawker 800, surely the world”s most successful
business aircraft, designed at Hatfield.
In any event it seems that a Boeing 737-700 is to be leased, a fine
aircraft.
Surely our Monarch should be seen in a partially British built Airbus.
After all you cannot imagine George Bush ordering an A380 as Air
Force One.