The Second Generation

DURING the early part of June, Britain's contender for honours in the world heavyweight class of civil transports will take the air from Weybridge on its maiden flight. It is therefore appropriate that at this time we should publish an issue devoted to a full technical description of the aircraft concerned— the Vickers VC10 long‐range jet airliner. We feel justified in affording the VC10 this comprehensive coverage on several counts. To begin with, the whole VC10 project represents a major undertaking for the British aircraft industry, and in particular of course for Vickers‐Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd., at a time when competition is extremely keen. Being essentially a second‐generation long‐range jet airliner, the VC10 is in the forefront of applied design techniques in the aero‐dynamic, structures, power plant, and systems fields, and therefore provides an ideal opportunity to present a ‘state‐of‐the‐art’ report in these areas, while at the same time giving a detailed account of this important aircraft.