BAe 146
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British Aerospace BAe 146/Avro RJ
Buzz BAe 146-300
Type Airliner
Manufacturers British Aerospace
BAE Systems
Designed by Hawker-Siddeley
Maiden flight 1981-09-03
Introduced May 1983
Status Active service
Produced 1978-2003
SN Brussels Airlines Avro RJ85
SN Brussels Airlines Avro RJ85

The BAe 146 is a medium-sized commercial aircraft which was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace (which later became part of BAE Systems). Production ran from 1983 until 2002, switching to an improved version known as the Avro RJ in 1992. A further-improved version, the Avro RJX - with new engines - was announced in 1997, but only three prototypes were built before production ceased in late 2001.

The BAe 146/Avro RJ carries its four turbofan jet engines on a high wing above the fuselage (not below, or at mid-fuselage, as on most conventional civilian aircraft) and has a T-tail. The aircraft has STOL capabilities and very quiet operation; it has been marketed under the name Whisperjet. It sees wide usage at small city-based airports. In its primary role it serves as a regional jet, short-haul airliner or feederliner. The BAe 146/Avro RJ is in wide use among European airlines, such as Lufthansa and SN Brussels Airlines. The freight-carrying version has the designation "QT" (Quiet Trader), while a convertible version is designated "QC".

The BAe 146 comes in -100, -200 and -300 models. The equivalent Avro RJ versions are designated RJ70, RJ85, and RJ100.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 History
o 1.1 Problems
* 2 Models
o 2.1 BAe 146-100 and Avro RJ70
o 2.2 BAe 146-200 and Avro RJ85
o 2.3 BAe 146-300 and Avro RJ100
o 2.4 Specific variants
o 2.5 Avro RJX Series
* 3 Civilian operators
* 4 Military operators
* 5 Incidents
* 6 Specifications (BAe 146-200)
* 7 References
* 8 External links
* 9 Related content

[edit] History

Hawker-Siddeley carried out the original design in 1973 using the designation HS.146, but soon abandoned the project as a result of the world economic downturn resulting from the 1973 oil crisis. Low-key development proceeded, however, and in 1978 British Aerospace, Hawker Siddeley's corporate successor, re-launched the project. The name 146 comes from the original De Havilland design number, DH146, which was continued by Hawker Siddeley. The type name "Avro RJ" superseded "BAe 146" in 1993.
Lufthansa Avro RJ85
Lufthansa Avro RJ85
Flybe Bae 146 300 series wearing the colours of an Internet gaming Company. Glasgow International Airport. July 2006.
Flybe Bae 146 300 series wearing the colours of an Internet gaming Company. Glasgow International Airport. July 2006.

The BAe 146 received its Certificate of Airworthiness on 1983-02-08.[1]

Higher thrust LF507 turbofan engines from Honeywell, housed in newly designed nacelles, replaced the original ALF-502 Lycoming engines. Production of this aircraft has ended, with the final four aircraft being delivered in October-November 2003. Many airlines are predicted to replace the Avro/BAe with the Airbus A318, Bombardier CRJ 700, or Embraer models such as the Embraer 170 and Embraer 190.

The early aircraft were built at what was the original De Havilland factory at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. The Avro RJ family of aircraft was built at the BAE Systems Regional Aircraft Centre at the Avro Airfield at Woodford in England. 166 Avro RJ aircraft were delivered between 1993 and 2002.

The aircraft have proven to be useful on "high" density regional and short-haul routes. One of the main features of the BAe 146 that made it different from other regional aeroplanes is the fact that it features six-abreast seating which proves to be more comfortable than the more traditional four- or five-abreast seating of planes in its class. The plane is also renowned for its relatively low noise generation, a positive feature which won the hearts of many operators who wanted to fly in and out of noise stringent airports within cities.

[edit] Problems

The ALF 502 turbofans were derived from Lycoming's helicopter turboshaft designs and suffered from some reliability problems. The internal electronics were prone to overheating which could trigger an automatic shutdown of an engine with no option of in-flight restarting, and certain rare atmospheric conditions caused loss of engine thrust due to internal icing.[2]. As the result,