Simons, Graham M. Hawker Siddeley Trident

A Pioneer in Aviation Technology

In 1957, de Havilland Aircraft began design studies to meet British European Airways' (BEA) requirements for a jet airliner capable of covering 1,000-mile routes and reaching speeds of 600 miles per hour. However, when BEA requested a smaller aircraft in 1958, the design underwent a major revision; the resulting aircraft was built around three Rolls-Royce RB.163 Spey engineseach delivering 10,100 pounds of thrustand accommodated up to 101 passengers. Construction of the first 24 aircraft began at Hatfield in July 1959. De Havilland joined the Hawker Siddeley Group in 1960, and in September of that year, the name of the future airliner was announced: "Trident." This name was chosen to highlight its then-unique configuration featuring three engines and a triplex hydraulic system. The Trident made its maiden flight at Hatfield on January 9, 1962. Its first flight in regular passenger service followed on March 11, with full scheduled operations commencing on April 1. A pioneer in aviation technology, the Trident was designed from the outset for automatic landings in poor weathera feature far ahead of its time. On March 5, 1964, the Trident 1C (registration G-ARPB)used by Hawker Siddeley to develop "Autoflare" and "Autoland" systemsperformed the world's first fully automatic landing at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Bedford, marking a significant milestone in aviation history. The world's first automatic landing in commercial scheduled service took place on June 10, 1965, when the Trident 1C G-ARPR landed at Heathrow after a flight from Paris; This once again underscored the technical capabilities of the Trident and astonished the aviation world. The DH.121 was a technical masterpiece that distinguished itself from contemporary aircraft through several unique features. These included an all-moving tailplane, a nose landing gear that retracted sideways and was offset 24 inches to port, and a Bristol Siddeley Artouste auxiliary power unit (APU) installed beneath the cabin floor in the rear fuselage. These innovative design elements made the Trident stand out in the aviation industry and sparked the curiosity of aviation enthusiasts and historians alike.