BAE Systems

38 The Aircraft of British Aerospace and BAE SYSTEMS 1977 - 2017

26 Jetstreams to be built by Scottish

Aviation and the company bought out

Jetstream Aircraft’s interest in the aircraft.

Scottish Aviation furnished the contract

using 19 aircraft stored at Sywell, with two

repatriated from the USA and five

newly-built aircraft to complete the order.

The first of these, XX483 a flew on 13

April 1973 and the last was delivered in

December 1976. Scottish Aviation was

eager to build on its Jetstream experience

and sought means to re-open production

after completion of the delivery of the

Jetstream T1s to the RAF. Fortunately, the

company was assisted in its endeavours

when it received a contract to modify 12

of the RAF’s Jetstream T1s into T2

navigation trainers for the Royal Navy,

assuring work until June 1979. (The Navy’s

aircraft served for 32 years and six aircraft

performed a final flypast at RNAS

Culdrose on 11 March 2011.)

British Aerospace and

the Jetstream 31

On 5 December 1978, the newly-formed

and state-owned British Aerospace

decided to re-launch a new version - the

Jetstream 31. However as the BAe Board

was very doubtful about the likely success

of the Jetstream it only agreed to the

development and testing of a single

aircraft and the ordering in of long-lead

items for possible production.

The new BAe Jetstream 31 was based

on the HP Jetstream 200 but the

disappointing Astazou engines were

replaced by the Garrett TPE331 - as

originally flown in the USAF version by

Handley Page, albeit in an amended

configuration. BAe’s decision was based

on market research, primarily in the USA,

which indicated with just a 5% share of

the market there would be steady stream

of orders. During the decade from the

launch of the HP Jetstream there had

been a burgeoning demand for 15-20

seater aircraft. It was evident that the

original HP specification with its

pressurised cabin and six-foot cabin

height offering airline seating for 19 (or an

ˆ Jetstream 41 –

changes from

Jetstream 31.

(BAE SYSTEMS)

‡ PanAm’s J31

N3142 with the

dorsal luggage

pannier fitted to

many aircraft.

(BAE SYSTEMS)