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

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 jet engines on a high wing above the fuselage (not below, or at mid-fuselage, as on most conventional civilian aircraft). 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 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. The BAe 146/Avro RJ is in wide use among European airlines, such as Lufthansa and SN Brussels Airlines.

The only commercial jet with 4 turbofan jet engines on a wing that is mounted on top of the fuselage, the BAe 146 also has a T-tail. Having extremely large flaps and spoilers, and a large split air brake mounted in the tail, the plane does not need reverse thrust at landing. Consequently, the four engines (supplied by the U.S. manufacturer Lycoming) do not have this facility. The plane can take off and land on extremely short runways, such as those at Mönchengladbach Airport, at Vágar Airport and at London City Airport, a converted dock.

1 History
- 1.1 Problems
2 Models
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 oil crisis. Low-key development proceeded, however, and in 1978 British Aerospace, Hawker Siddeley's corporate successor, re-launched the project.

Lufthansa Avro RJ85

Flybe Bae 146 300 series wearing the colours of an Internet gaming Company. Glasgow International Airport. July 2006.

Production began in 1983 with the series 100, carrying 70-84 passengers, and ended in 2002, during the worldwide slump in the aviation market following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The early aircraft were built at what was the original De Havilland factory at Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

The type name "Avro RJ" superseded "BAe 146" in 1993 in a new joint venture. The Avro RJ comes in three sizes – for 70, 85 and 100 passengers – named the RJ-70, RJ-85, and RJ-100. All three sizes have the same cockpit, engines and operating procedures. Turbofan engines from Honeywell, housed in newly designed nacelles, replaced the original 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 Boeing 717, Airbus A318, Bombardier CRJ 700, or Embraer models such as the Embraer 170 and Embraer 190.

The Avro RJ family of aircraft was built at the BAE Systems Regional Aircraft Centre at the historic Avro Airfield at Woodford in England. 166 Avro RJ aircraft were delivered between 1993 and 2002.

The aircraft have proven to be very 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 significant 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 atmospheric conditions caused engine failure due to internal icing.^[1]. As the result, BAe 146 mechanics quipped that "BAe" stood for "Bring Another Engine." In recent years, there have been cases where toxic fumes from engine oil have entered the air-conditioning system and entered the cockpit, adversely affecting the pilots. ^[2].

[edit] Models

BAe 146-100 and Avro RJ70
First flight of the -100 occurred on 3 September 1981^[3], with deliveries commencing in 1983. The launch customer in March 1983 was Dan-Air soon followed by the RAF's Royal Flight. The -100 migrated last to the Avro RJ standard development,

BAe 146 CC.2 (BAe 146-100 Statesman) of The Royal Squadron

with first deliveries of the RJ70 beginning in late 1993. The RJ70 differed from the 146-100 in having FADEC LF 507 engines and digital avionics. The RJ70 seats 70 passengers, 82 six abreast or 94 in high-density configuration.
BAe 146-200 and Avro RJ85
The 146-200 features a 2.41 m (7 ft 11 in) fuselage extension and reduced seat-distance costs. The -200 first flew in August 1982 and entered service six months later. The RJ85, the first RJ development of the BAe 146 family, features an improved cabin and the more efficient LF 507 s. Deliveries of the RJ85 began in April 1993. The RJ85 seats up to 112 passengers.
BAe 146-300 and Avro RJ100
Designers' initial proposals for the -300, the final development of the 146 product line, included a 3.2 m extension to the fuselage of the -200, more powerful engines and winglets. However due to the requirements of airlines for higher efficiency rather than capacity the production 146-300 emerged as a 2.44 m stretch of the -200, without winglets or the proposed ALF 502R-7. Deliveries began in December 1988. The Avro version of the 146-300, the second such development of the 146 product line, became the RJ100. It shared the fuselage of the 146 version, but with interior, engine and avionics improvements. The most common configuration in the RJ100 seats 100 passengers. The RJ115 seats 116 as standard or up to a maximum of 128 in a high-density layout.
Specific variants
- Statesman
  VIP or corporate transport version.
- 146-QT (Quiet Trader)
  Freighter version.
- 146-QC
  Convertible passenger/freight version.
- 146-STA
  Military transport version.
Avro RJX Series
The RJX-70, RJX-85 and RJX-100 aircraft represented advanced variants of the Avro RJ Series. The RJX used Honeywell AS977 turbofans for greater efficiency (15% less fuel-burn, 17% increased range), quieter performance and 20% less maintenance costs. Druk Air of Bhutan placed orders for two RJX-85s, while British European placed orders for 12 RJX-100s. However, BAE Systems terminated the project in December 2001, having completed and flown only three aircraft - a prototype each of the RJX-85 and RJX-100, and a production RJX-100 for British European. The termination of the RJX project marked the end of commercial airliner-production in the United Kingdom.

[edit] Civilian operators

In August 2006 a total of 158 BAE 146 aircraft (all variants) remain in airline service. Major operators include: China Eastern Airlines (10), National Jet Systems (14), CityJet (19), Eurowings (14), Flybe (14) and TNT Airways (13). Some 20 other airlines also operate smaller numbers of the type.^[4]

In August 2006 a total of 152 Avro RJ aircraft (all variants) also remain in airline service. Major operators include: BA Connect (10), Lufthansa CityLine (18), SN Brussels Airlines (26), Swiss International Air Lines (24) and Mesaba Airlines (As Northwest Airlink) (34). Some 12 other airlines also operate smaller numbers of the type.^[4]

[edit] Military operators

[edit] Incidents

The BAe-146/Avro RJ has been involved in seven hull-loss accidents with a total of 216 fatalities.^[5] ^[6]

On December 7, 1987 a Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 BAe 146-200 (registration: N350PS) crashes after a disgruntled former USAir employee aims a .44 Magnum pistol and fires several shots in or near the cockpit area, causing the aircraft to enter a steep nosedive. All of the 43 passengers and crew members onboard are killed. At the time airline employees were allowed to bypass security checkpoints. ^[7]
On February 20, 1991 a LAN Chile BAe 146-200A (registration: CC-CET) overran runway 8 while landing at Puerto Williams Airport (WPU), Chile, killing 20 of the 73 people onboard. ^[8]
On July 23, 1993 a China Northwest Airlines BAe 146-300 (registration: B-2716) crashed while attempting to take off from Yinchuan Airport (INC), People's Republic of China. 55 of the 113 passengers and crew were killed. ^[9]
On September 25, 1998 a Paukn Air BAe 146-100 (registration: EC-GEO) crashed while on a approach to runway 15 at Melilla Airport (MLN/GEML), Spain. All of the 38 passengers and crew were killed. ^[10]
On November 24, 2001 a Crossair flight 3597 Avro RJ-100 (registration: HB-IXM) crashed while on a VOR/DME approach to runway 28 at Zürich-Kloten Airport (ZRH/LSZH), Switzerland. 24 of the 33 passengers and crew were killed. ^[11]
On January 8, 2003 a Türk Hava Yollari Avro RJ-100 (registration: TC-THG) crashed while on a VOR/DME approach to runway 34 at Diyarbakir Airport (DIY/LTCC), Turkey. All of the 80 passengers and crew were killed. ^[12]
On October 10, 2006 a Atlantic Airways Flight 670 BAe 146-200A (registration OY-CRG) skidded off the runway while landing at Stord Airport, Norway. The Spoilers did not deploy when the aircraft landed. 3 passengers and 1 crew member were killed, of the 16 persons onboard.^[13] ^[14]