 |
| STANDARD DATA: (146-300) Seats 128. Gross wt. 97,500. Empty wt. 54,848. Engines four 6,970-lb. ALF 502-5 turbofans. PERFORMANCE: Max speed Mach 0.73. Cruise 426 kts. Range 1,040-1,520 nm. Ceiling 35,000 |
One of Britain’s most successful airliners, the HS- 146 began in 1973 under the leadership of Hawker Siddeley under subsidy from the British government. Economic pressures made development slow, and was not until 1978, under the larger umbrella of British Aerospace, that the four-engine airliner really took shape. The version -200, a stretch of the prototype -100, featured more cargo space and allowed for the resulting increase in gross weights. Later a -300 model was certified, with even more such increases. The BAe-146s flew two roles, as both passenger and freight haulers. Military versions were also operated by the Royal Air Force.
