A couple of these actually very near came to be .... had commercial influence not resisted political persuasion over NZ during the mid 1960's. I've related this story previously, but, are repeating it fot the sake of this presentation and anyone whom may be unaware ....
During the 1960's NZNAC, like most of the worlds major airlines, were intent upon acquiring jet equipment .... as a replacement for its VISCOUNT 800 turboprops in the case of this government owned NZ domestic airline.
NZ being a British Commonwealth country had historically, but not entirely, selected British aircraft equipment .... through both political influence/pressure from the UK as well as NZ's then government inspired "Buy British" mentality.
In the case of NZNAC though this preference began to change during the very late 1950's/very early 1960's when the airline acquired F27 turboprops in preference to the similar British HP HERALD .... and despite political pressure having been applied to the contrary.
During the mid 1960's NZNAC evaluated the B727 (which shared certain performance commonalty with the then yet to built B737), BAC ONE-ELEVEN, DC-9-10, and SE 210 CARAVELLE as jet contenders for NZ domestic routes.
Intense political pressure was applied to try'n force NZNAC into buying BAC ONE-ELEVEN's .... and which the NZ government endorsed on behalf of the UK for a time .... until hierarchy within airline very convincingly pointed out (on the strength of its already having thoroughly analysed 4 prospective short/medium range jet contenders) that the "yet to be built" B737-200 was indeed "THE VERY BEST OPTION" for NZNAC. In particular the airline stressed that the slat-less wing of both the BAC ONE-ELEVEN, and DC-9-10, couldn't promote either aircraft being able to fly slowly, and comfortably, enough when subjected to the worst of Wellington's legendary turbulence .... whereas the B737-200 could "on the strength of known B727 performance".
The airlines choice of the B727-200 "DID NOT" amuse the UK government .... a situation which threatened to erupt a trade war between NZ and one of its primary trading partners at the time, but the airline, having finally convinced the NZ government, acquired B737-200's anyway .... and never looked back.
The "political games/manipulation" didn't end with NZNAC's purchase of the B737-200 though. The airline also required a B737-200 simulator for pilot training. Its options, at the time, were the US CONDUCTRON or British REDIFON products. A classic argument then erupted between the airline and its NZ government principle in regard to what it wanted versus what it would be allowed to acquire .... and which is (amusingly) recorded as having gone like this ....
The NZ TRANSPORT MINISTER summoned a senior NZNAC executive (a NZ government appointee) into his office stating .... "YOU GOT THE AEROPLANE YOU WANTED .... NOW WE'VE GOTTA DO SOMETHING FOR THE BRITISH .... SO IN REGARD TO THE SIMULATOR YOU'LL BUY BRITISH AND LIKE IT"
To which the senior airline executive simply responded .... "WE'LL BUY IT MINISTER .... BUT WE WON'T LIKE IT"
NZNAC did end up buying the British REDIFON simulator though .... and was "well satisfied with it" .... to the extent of again selecting the REFIFON product when AIR NZ updated its simulator during the 1980's.
The following are HJG tributes to how the BAC ONE-ELEVEN (possibly the -400) and DC-9 (possibly the -14/-15) might have looked had NZNAC acquired either during the later i960's ....
"FICTIONAL" NZ NATIONAL AIRWAYS CORPORATION BAC ONE-ELEVEN (livery concept) circa 1967
"FICTIONAL" NZ NATIONAL AIRWAYS CORPORATION DC-9-10 (livery concept) circa 1967
Since July 2021 HJG has been hosting the entire DAVID MALTBY FLIGHTIM range of simulations .... which included a lot of it's own texture productions for these simulations as well as other updates in order to fix previously long-standing issues with some of the DMFS range.
NZNAC was merged into AIR NEW ZEALAND on April 1st 1977 .... long before the BAe 146 had even flown. Although the BAe 146 did fly NZ domestic air routes, with ANSETT NEW ZEALAND and QANTAS NEW ZEALAND throughout the 1990's and into the 2000'n'noughties, "had it flown during the 1970's and been acquired by NZNAC, then, it probably would have looked like this ....
"FICTIONAL" NZ NATIONAL AIRWAYS CORPORATION BAe 146-200 (livery concept) circa 1974
Mark C
AKL/NZ
