British Aerospace Commercial Fleet
British Aerospace (BAe) stands as a landmark in British civil aviation history. From the world's only commercially successful supersonic airliner, the Anglo-French Concorde, to the whisper-quiet four-engine BAe 146 / Avro RJ tailored for London City Airport's steep approaches, British Aerospace revolutionized aviation with daring aerodynamic innovation.
British Aerospace Commercial Technical Matrix
| Specification | Concorde | BAe 146-100 / RJ70 | BAe 146-200 / RJ85 | BAe 146-300 / RJ100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Typical Passenger Capacity | 100 (Single Class) | 70–82 | 85–112 | 100–128 |
| Overall Length | 61.66 m / 202 ft 4 in | 26.16 m / 85 ft 10 in | 28.60 m / 93 ft 10 in | 30.99 m / 101 ft 8 in |
| Wingspan | 25.60 m / 84 ft 0 in | 26.34 m / 86 ft 5 in | 26.34 m / 86 ft 5 in | 26.34 m / 86 ft 5 in |
| Tail Height | 12.20 m / 40 ft 0 in | 8.61 m / 28 ft 3 in | 8.61 m / 28 ft 3 in | 8.61 m / 28 ft 3 in |
| Max Takeoff Weight (MTOW) | 185,000 kg / 408,000 lbs | 38,100 kg / 84,000 lbs | 42,185 kg / 93,000 lbs | 44,225 kg / 97,500 lbs |
| Max Range | 3,900 nm / 7,222 km | 1,620 nm / 3,000 km | 1,570 nm / 2,909 km | 1,490 nm / 2,760 km |
| Engines (4x) | Olympus 593 (38,050 lbf w/ reheat) | Lycoming ALF 502R-3 (6,700 lbf) | Lycoming ALF 502R-5 / LF 507 | Honeywell LF 507-1F (7,000 lbf) |
| Cruise Speed | Mach 2.04 (2,179 km/h) | Mach 0.70 (750 km/h) | Mach 0.70 (750 km/h) | Mach 0.70 (750 km/h) |
Program History & Milestone Timeline
The British and French governments signed an international treaty pairing the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Sud Aviation to pioneer commercial supersonic flight.
Concorde 001 took off from Toulouse, followed by British prototype 002 flying from Filton, Bristol on April 9, 1969, breaking the sound barrier in October 1969.
The prototype BAe 146-100 completed its first flight from Hatfield Aerodrome, demonstrating whisper-quiet acoustics with four turbofans and full-span trailing-edge flaps.
Dan-Air introduced the BAe 146 into revenue service. The aircraft quickly conquered European city airports with strict noise curfews.
British Airways operated the final scheduled passenger flight of Concorde from New York JFK to London Heathrow, bringing a triumphant close to the supersonic jet age.