Post by aerofoto - HJG Admin on Feb 17, 2011 20:07:42 GMT
YEAH .... they did !
I'm not sure though if the MERCURE was AIR INTER's own choice of aircraft/equipment though. I though they were made to operate it .... but then .... subsidized by the government, and quite substantially too, for operating it.
Looking more closely at this aircraft .... and the company which built them .... I begin see, as purely coincidentally as this may all be, even more parallels between the MERCURE and the CV990 in particular .... as well as between the DASSULT BREGUET and CONVAIR/GENERAL dynamics companies too.
- DASSAULT BREGUET was a respectd producer of high-performance military/combat aircraft .... so was CONVAIR/GENERAL DYNAMICS.
- The MERCURE was the DASSAULT BREGUET companies first venture into the civil "jetliner" market .... as the CV880/CV990 was too in respect of CONVAIR/GENERAL DYNAMICS.
- High performance/speed was one of the intentions behind the MERCURE design .... as it was in respect of the CV880/CV990 designs too.
- Both the MERCURE and the CV990 ran into initial performance related problems/issues too during their early testing phase .... though in the case of the MERCURE (low speed performance) these were resolved .... whereas with the CV990 (high speed performance) this was only partly resolved and only at the cost of horrendouis fuel burn rates.
- Both the MERCURE and CV880/CV990 failed to attract customer airlines .... only this was worse for the MERCURE in respect of just 10 or 12 aircraft ever being produced.
- Both aircraft incurred huge developmental losses .... though the French Government apparently financed/absorbed all but some 14% of development costs for the MERCURE.
Unlike CONVAIR/GENERAL dynamics which tried to make the CV880 more attractive in the form of the CV990 .... DASSAULT BREGUET did plan a larger version of the MERCURE, but, which was never launched on account of failed marketing attempts.
The MERCURE, despite the unfortunate circumstances which it became a victim of, seems to have been an otherwise very well engineered, well liked, and a very popular aircraft. AIR INTER operated them for some 14 years, or so, prior to retiring them .... in the early 1980's ..l. I think it was !
It's range appears to have been quite short though .... at some 1,200 miles.
BUT .... it's speed was apparently good though .... with AIR INTER's premium Paris/Marseilles route being flown by these aircraft in some 47 minutes.
VIVA LE FRANCE !
Mark C
AKL/NZ
I'm not sure though if the MERCURE was AIR INTER's own choice of aircraft/equipment though. I though they were made to operate it .... but then .... subsidized by the government, and quite substantially too, for operating it.
Looking more closely at this aircraft .... and the company which built them .... I begin see, as purely coincidentally as this may all be, even more parallels between the MERCURE and the CV990 in particular .... as well as between the DASSULT BREGUET and CONVAIR/GENERAL dynamics companies too.
- DASSAULT BREGUET was a respectd producer of high-performance military/combat aircraft .... so was CONVAIR/GENERAL DYNAMICS.
- The MERCURE was the DASSAULT BREGUET companies first venture into the civil "jetliner" market .... as the CV880/CV990 was too in respect of CONVAIR/GENERAL DYNAMICS.
- High performance/speed was one of the intentions behind the MERCURE design .... as it was in respect of the CV880/CV990 designs too.
- Both the MERCURE and the CV990 ran into initial performance related problems/issues too during their early testing phase .... though in the case of the MERCURE (low speed performance) these were resolved .... whereas with the CV990 (high speed performance) this was only partly resolved and only at the cost of horrendouis fuel burn rates.
- Both the MERCURE and CV880/CV990 failed to attract customer airlines .... only this was worse for the MERCURE in respect of just 10 or 12 aircraft ever being produced.
- Both aircraft incurred huge developmental losses .... though the French Government apparently financed/absorbed all but some 14% of development costs for the MERCURE.
Unlike CONVAIR/GENERAL dynamics which tried to make the CV880 more attractive in the form of the CV990 .... DASSAULT BREGUET did plan a larger version of the MERCURE, but, which was never launched on account of failed marketing attempts.
The MERCURE, despite the unfortunate circumstances which it became a victim of, seems to have been an otherwise very well engineered, well liked, and a very popular aircraft. AIR INTER operated them for some 14 years, or so, prior to retiring them .... in the early 1980's ..l. I think it was !
It's range appears to have been quite short though .... at some 1,200 miles.
BUT .... it's speed was apparently good though .... with AIR INTER's premium Paris/Marseilles route being flown by these aircraft in some 47 minutes.
VIVA LE FRANCE !
Mark C
AKL/NZ