The Also-Rans

What makes one commercial airliner a success while its rival drifts into obscurity? In this, the final of a four-part series, John Vogel examines the aircraft that were the Also-Rans.

Welcome to the final edition of our Also-Rans series.

What constitutes an Also-Ran depends on simply one factor – it didn’t sell and consequently cost its maker dearly. In this final look at the post-war Also-Rans, we investigate the Vickers Vanguard, an excellent project that was simply operational too late to be saleable. The Mercure is an orphan from the start and one of the very few mistakes that Dassault ever made. The VFW-614 twin jet which at the time of project launch was to make the successful Friendships and 748s of the world obsolete overnight. This aircraft was slain the day OPEC discovered the “oil weapon”.

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