Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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This is a reworked and reuploaded version of the original video.
Good morning! :D
In this extra-long video, we'll be looking back at the point where the British aircraft industry died, that being when the BAC 3-11, a proposed wide-body twinjet built to do battle with the Airbus A300, was side-lined so as to smooth over the entry of the UK into the Common Market, the 3-11's demise being the culmination of decades of disinterest and ambivalence from successive and equally misguided governments, who took a firmly defeatist attitude when it came to the prospective future of Britain's place on the global aviation scene, and thus meant that rather than preserving an already strong industry that was second-only to the United States, repeated backpedalling and a controlled retreat led eventually to the UK not building a single domestically sourced airliner, instead being merely a junior partner in other nation's airliner projects.
A majority of the information gathered about the BAC 3-11 comes from the superb publication of Graziano Freschi, titled 'The Bac Three-Eleven: The British Airbus That Should Have Been'. This book is a fascinating read that has confirmed many of my own long suspicions regarding the course of the British aviation industry, with particular emphasis on its general collapse in the late 1960s and early 1970s, my video, despite its length, barely scratching the surface as to the amount of detail available within this incredible book, supported by diagrams, and statements, quotes and interviews from the people involved. It's a thoroughly recommended read for anyone with a deep and passionate interest in the UK aircraft building industry:
amazon.co.uk/Bac-Three-Eleven-Graziano-Freschi/dp/0752439138
Chapters:
0:00 - Preamble
1:08 - Fifties Failures
8:05 - Trident, VC10 and One-Eleven
16:05 - Post-War European Aircraft Industry
24:18 - BAC Two-Eleven
28:10 - Hawker Siddeley HS134
29:42 - BAC Three-Eleven Origins
34:32 - Three-Eleven vs. A300
43:18 - BAC Three-Eleven Cancellation
48:15 - Retreat of the British Aircraft Industry
57:14 - Conclusion
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated YouTubers. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
If you enjoyed this video, why not leave a like, and consider subscribing for more great content coming soon.
Press the Join button to get access to new videos a week ahead of schedule by becoming a channel member for just £2.99 a month!
Paypal: paypal.me/rorymacve?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/rorymacve
Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D
References:
- The Bac Three-Eleven: The British Airbus That Should Have Been by Graziano Freschi (and his respective references)
- Key Aero (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)
Join this channel to get early access to new videos a week ahead of their public release:
youtube.com/channel/UCC8R7kmt-W14zWUcr8mymEQ/join
This is a reworked and reuploaded version of the original video.
Good morning! :D
In this extra-long video, we'll be looking back at the point where the British aircraft industry died, that being when the BAC 3-11, a proposed wide-body twinjet built to do battle with the Airbus A300, was side-lined so as to smooth over the entry of the UK into the Common Market, the 3-11's demise being the culmination of decades of disinterest and ambivalence from successive and equally misguided governments, who took a firmly defeatist attitude when it came to the prospective future of Britain's place on the global aviation scene, and thus meant that rather than preserving an already strong industry that was second-only to the United States, repeated backpedalling and a controlled retreat led eventually to the UK not building a single domestically sourced airliner, instead being merely a junior partner in other nation's airliner projects.
A majority of the information gathered about the BAC 3-11 comes from the superb publication of Graziano Freschi, titled 'The Bac Three-Eleven: The British Airbus That Should Have Been'. This book is a fascinating read that has confirmed many of my own long suspicions regarding the course of the British aviation industry, with particular emphasis on its general collapse in the late 1960s and early 1970s, my video, despite its length, barely scratching the surface as to the amount of detail available within this incredible book, supported by diagrams, and statements, quotes and interviews from the people involved. It's a thoroughly recommended read for anyone with a deep and passionate interest in the UK aircraft building industry:
amazon.co.uk/Bac-Three-Eleven-Graziano-Freschi/dp/0752439138
Chapters:
0:00 - Preamble
1:08 - Fifties Failures
8:05 - Trident, VC10 and One-Eleven
16:05 - Post-War European Aircraft Industry
24:18 - BAC Two-Eleven
28:10 - Hawker Siddeley HS134
29:42 - BAC Three-Eleven Origins
34:32 - Three-Eleven vs. A300
43:18 - BAC Three-Eleven Cancellation
48:15 - Retreat of the British Aircraft Industry
57:14 - Conclusion
All video content and images in this production have been provided with permission wherever possible. While I endeavour to ensure that all accreditations properly name the original creator, some of my sources do not list them as they are usually provided by other, unrelated YouTubers. Therefore, if I have mistakenly put the accreditation of 'Unknown', and you are aware of the original creator, please send me a personal message at my Gmail (this is more effective than comments as I am often unable to read all of them): rorymacveigh@gmail.com
The views and opinions expressed in this video are my personal appraisal and are not the views and opinions of any of these individuals or bodies who have kindly supplied me with footage and images.
If you enjoyed this video, why not leave a like, and consider subscribing for more great content coming soon.
Press the Join button to get access to new videos a week ahead of schedule by becoming a channel member for just £2.99 a month!
Paypal: paypal.me/rorymacve?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB
Ko-Fi: ko-fi.com/rorymacve
Thanks again, everyone, and enjoy! :D
References:
- The Bac Three-Eleven: The British Airbus That Should Have Been by Graziano Freschi (and his respective references)
- Key Aero (and their respective references)
- Wikipedia (and its respective references)
