Tariffs aren't biggest blow to industry yet

EXACTLY 60 years ago next week, a pioneering new British plane made its maiden commercial flight. Travelling between London Gatwick and Geneva on April 9, 1965, the sleek new jetliner - built by the recently formed conglomerate, the British Aircraft Corporation, and called the One-Eleven delivered on the promise it showed in development.

- Leo McKinstry

The BAC 1-11 seemed destined for a central role in a forthcoming golden era of aviation, as Britain's gift for aeronautical innovation led the world forward. Construction had already begun on the prototype of Concorde, the revolutionary supersonic jet.

In the military sphere, testing was also under way on the equally revolutionary Hawker Harrier, with its unique capacity for vertical take-off and landing. Yet the 1960s, far from heralding a new age of triumphant achievement, were actually the last gasp of glory before long decades of decline.

Concorde turned out to be an expensive failure. Global orders for both the BAC 1-11 and the Harrier disappointed. Today, the British aircraft industry is a shadow of its former self. Its main focus is on making wings for the giant European Airbus company. Yet even here, the shadow of vulnerability hangs over the shrunken workforce, highlighted by the recent announcement from Airbus that 500 jobs are to be lost in the UK.