Trident

Book excerpt: This book presents a general history of the Trident aircraft charting its evolution, experience with airlines, and subsequent withdrawal. Trident was the world's first tri-jet and the first civilian aircraft certified to be able to land automatically in Cat B conditions. This illustrated history explains its beginnings, detail its layout and features, discuss new variants, the impact of BEA on Trident, and its role variously in connection with Kuwait Airways, Iraqi Airways, Pakistan, Air Ceylon, BKS Air Transport, Channel Airways, Cyprus Airways, China, and Zaire. The appendices include a production list and specifications. Notoriously, in 1972, 118 people were killed when a BEA Trident airliner ploughed into waste ground on the outskirts of Heathrow Airport. The book is written with the assistance of Neil Lomax of the Trident Preservation Society in Manchester and includes pictures of their recent Trident restoration project.