BAe_Jetstream_41

BAe Jetstream 41

The Jetstream 41 is a turboprop-powered feederliner and regional airliner, designed by British Aerospace as a "stretched" version of the popular Handley Page Jetstream. Intended to compete directly with 30-seat aircraft like the Embraer Brasilia, Dornier 328 and Saab 340, the new design eventually accommodated 29 passengers in a two-by-one arrangement like the Jetstream 31. Eastern Airways is the biggest operator of Jetstream 41s in the world, with 22 in the fleet.

Design and development

The Jetstream 41's stretch added 16 ft (4.88 m) to the fuselage, consisting of an 8 foot (2.5 m) plug forward of the wing and a 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) plug to the rear; the fuselage design was all new and did not contain any parts of the old fuselage. The new design demanded a wing with increased span, which also included reworked ailerons and flaps. The wing was also mounted below the fuselage so that it did not carry through the cabin aisle, which also led to larger wing root fairings that increased baggage capacity.

The latest version of the Garrett TPE331 engines, the -14, now owned by Honeywell, delivered 1,500 shp (1,120 kW) and later 1,650 shp (1,232 KW) and were mounted in new nacelles with increased ground clearance. The flightdeck was improved with a modern EFIS setup, and a new windscreen arrangement. The J41 was the first turbo-prop certified to both JAR25 and FAR25 standards.

Operational service

The J41 flew for the first time on 25 September 1991 and was certified on 23 November 1992. In January 1996, the J41 became part of the Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)), a marketing consortium consisting of ATR, Aérospatiale (of France), Alenia (of Italy), and British Aerospace. Sales initially were fairly strong, but in May 1997 BAe announced that it was terminating J41 production, with 100 aircraft delivered.

Unmanned Operations

In July 2008, a BAE Systems team that included Cranfield Aerospace and the National Flight Laboratory Centre at Cranfield University achieved a major breakthrough in unmanned air systems technology. The team flew a series of missions, totalling , in a specially modified Jetstream 31 (G-BWWW) without any human intervention, This was the first time such an undertaking had been achieved.

Operators

In July 2007, a total of 53 Jetstream 41 aircraft remain in airline service with

Other operators include:

Hong Kong Government Flying Service - (2) for search-and-rescue.

Preservation

Prototype Jetstream 41 G-JMAC is now preserved by the Jetstream Club on the former airside apron behind the Crowne Plaza Liverpool John Lennon Airport Hotel, which was the original terminal building of Liverpool Speke Airport.