The British Aerospace BAe-146 is a relatively small short-haul airliner. The history of the aircraft started in 1973, when Hawker Siddeley Aviation announced a project for a new four-engined airliner designated HS.146. The manufacturer started large-scale development, but stopped work after a few months because of the bad economic conditions following the 1973 oil crisis. In 1978 the project was launched again, now named BAe-146 as Hawker Siddeley in the meantime had become part of British Aerospace.
The BAe 146/Avro RJ is fitted with four turbofan jet engines to make it possible to operate from short runways. The engines are rather quiet, what makes the aircraft a good neighbour of residents living near small city-based airports. With its high wing and T-tail the aircraft has the appearance of a military transport, but although BAe offered a military version, including a refueling probe, the 146-STA, none of this version were sold. The fuselage of the 146 is suitable for five or six abreast seating, depending on how much room an airline allows its passengers.
 The BAe-146 made its maiden flight on September 3 1981 and in May 1983 the first deliveries took place to Dan-Air London. British Aerospace developed three main versions: the standard 146-100, the stretched 146-200 which first flew on August 1 1982, and the further stretched 146-300 which made its maiden flight on May 1 1987. A VIP-version is named 'Statesman'. Of the stretched versions cargo variants exist as 146-200QT (Quiet Trader) and 146-300QT. The last 146 was delivered in 1993. BAe built 221 146s.
The BAe-146 was followed by the improved but identically looking Avro RJ (Regional Jet), which was also produced in three main versions: RJ70, RJ85 and RJ100. The numbers correspond with the number of seats in the aircraft. The Avro RJ85 was the first of the new versions to fly on March 23 1992, soon followed by the RJ100 on May 13 1992 and the RJ70 on July 23 1992. The Avro RJs (named after the former Avro factory (A.V. Roe) near Manchester where the RJs were built) have improved engines, systems and a digital cockpit.
In the late 1990s British Aerospace started the development of a further improved version, the Avro RJX. The first RJX-85 flew on April 30 2001 and the first RJX-100 on September 23 2001, but due to bad market forecasts the aircraft manufacturer, now named BAE Systems dropped the project.
Of the entire BAe-146/Avro RJ family 395 aircraft have been built. Production of the Avro RJ series ceased in 2002.
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