Perhaps hardly anyone today can remember the Sud-Aviation SE 210 Caravelle. Once called “unbearably beautiful”, the Caravelle was the world’s first short/medium-range jet airliner, forerunner of today’s regional jets. Although the final Caravelle flight was nearly twenty years ago the plane does not deserve to be forgotten so easily. It was a technological marvel and helped usher in the jet age for a number of airlines across the globe, including Indian Airlines. The name Caravelle dates back to the 15th century when the caravel ships of Christopher Columbus, by virtue of their speed and ruggedness, opened the world to Europe’s intrepid explorers.

It is a remarkable testament to French ingenuity that its aeronautical industry, practically destroyed during the Second World War, was able to produce an outstanding airliner like the Caravelle. In October 1951, the French government had expressed the need for an aircraft that could carry 55 to 65 passengers, plus 1,000 kg of cargo, on routes of up to 2,000 km, while cruising at about 600 km/h. This would facilitate greater connectivity between France and North Africa. The Caravelle prototype, the X210, made its first flight on May 27, 1955. It entered service with Scandinavian Airlines Service (SAS) on April 26, 1959, and with Air France on May 6. Earlier the de Havilland DH.106 Comet – the world’s first commercial jet airliner – entered service in May 1952. However, three Comets were lost within a year after suffering catastrophic in-flight break-ups.

The futuristic Caravelle was of all-metal construction, with clean wings swept back 20 degrees, a dihedral of three degrees, and flaps that covered 60 per cent of the trailing edge. The tail surfaces too were swept back. The designers used thicker fuselage skins and more structural reinforcement than the Comet, and so the Caravelle was spared the Comet’s terrible fate. The plane could boast of a wealth of technological innovations. It was the world’s first airliner to have rear-mounted engines. It was among the first twinjet airliners when four engines were the norm for such planes. It was said that the noisiest seat on board the Caravelle was only as noisy as the quietest seat in the quietest rival airliner. It was also the first commercial aircraft to fly with hydraulic servos, which made it the most comfortable to control of any civil aircraft then operational. Another striking feature was the large triangular passenger windows with widely rounded-off corners. This unique pear-shaped design emerged from a thorough study of passenger comfort. The upper section was kept narrow to limit the sun’s glare while the wider lower section gave passengers a clear view of the landscape below.

The Caravelle could land on all standard runways of the period. For shorter ones if necessary a tail parachute could be deployed, reducing the landing distance considerably. Pilots praised the airliner’s gentle touch and large wings that made it easier to execute a “kiss landing”. It was the first airliner in the world certified to make Phase III approaches, with just 50 feet visibility and 500 feet runway visibility. Air France once organised a spectacular publicity event to promote its safety. A Caravelle was deliberately glided, without propulsion, for a distance of more than 262 km. The engine was restarted only on the final approach to ensure the safety of the passengers. Within four years of entering service, because it effectively had almost no jet-powered rivals, 172 Caravelles had been sold. Improved models were introduced at regular intervals. In 1961, the Caravelle Series VI became the main production variant. It offered a marked boost in performance thanks to its more powerful Rolls-Royce Avon engines with thrust 56.05 kN. In all, 282 Caravelles were built between 1958 and 1972 and sold to 35 customers in 27 countries.

Indian Airlines (IAC) – India’s erstwhile state-owned domestic carrier – chose the Caravelle as its first jet, and its fleet of Caravelle VI-N aircraft ultimately numbered a dozen. Caravelle services were simultaneously launched between Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras on February 1, 1964. The airliner’s annual utilisation rate was almost 3,000 hours per aircraft – amongst the highest in the world. Unfortunately, considering that the Caravelle was considered an easy-to-land plane, at least four IAC Caravelles were lost to landing accidents and a fifth was involved in a catastrophic mishap with the loss of all 95 lives aboard. IAC’s final Caravelle flight was in 1980. Pushpaka Aviation Pvt Ltd a Mumbai-based air charter company, purchased two Caravelles from IAC in 1978 and operated them for another five years mainly to carry cargo.

At the turn of the 1960s, Sud-Aviation began working on the Super-Caravelle – an early supersonic prototype that was later merged with efforts to produce the Anglo-French Concorde. Thus the Caravelle’s legacy extended even into the supersonic air transport age.