The Bristol Brabazon:
The Brabazon was to fail for reasons of economics. She was conceived following an era when passenger flying in England and Europe was the domain of civil servants in transit, business executives and the well-off. The airliner was viewed in the same light as the ocean liner. BOAC considered passengers would find a long non-stop flight almost intolerable and should therefore be provided with 200 cu. feet for comfort, and 270 cu. ft. for luxury. This equates with about three times the interior size of a modern family car, per airline passenger.
The 1944 version of the proposed airliner gave it a 25 ft. diameter fuselage (about 5 ft. greater than a Boeing 747) with upper and lower decks. This enclosed sleeping berths for 80 passengers, a dining room, promenade and bar; or day seats for 150 people. The Committee recommended a narrower fuselage designed for 50 passengers. BOAC agreed, but preferred a design for only 25 passengers.
BOAC were assumed to be a major buyer for the new Brabazon design. An agreement with the airline eventually led to an interior layout housing a forward saloon with six compartments, each for six passengers, and another one for just three; a midships section at higher level above the wing with 38 seats arranged around tables in groups of four, plus a pantry and galley; and a rear saloon with 23 seats in an aft-facing cinema, plus cocktail bar and lounge. The Brabazon was be one of the first airliners to be pressurised and air conditioned. It was also be a very big, heavy aircraft - weighing nearly 300,000 lb - for only 100 passengers.
