Hawker Siddeley HS 748

infobox Aircraft
name = HS 748
type = airliner
manufacturer = Avro Hawker Siddeley



caption = Avro 748 (C-GBFA) registered to First Air at Cambridge Bay Airport, Nunavut, Canada.
designer =
first flight = June 24 avyear|1960
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = Indian Air Force
more users = Indian Airlines Corporation
produced =
number built = 380
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = Hawker Siddeley Andover BAe ATP

The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed by Avro in the late 1950s as a replacement for the now-aged DC-3's then in widespread service as feederliners. Avro concentrated on performance, notably for STOL operations, and found a dedicated market. 380 aircraft were built by Hawker Siddeley. A larger development, the BAe ATP, attempted to compete with the de Havilland Canada Dash 8 but saw a limited production run.

Development

The original 748 design started in 1958 after the infamous Duncan Sandys 1957 Defence White Paper ended most military manned aircraft development in the UK, and Avro decided to re-enter the civilian market. The Vickers Viscount had the large end of the short-haul market neatly wrapped up, so Avro decided to design to a smaller regional airliner design to replace the many DC-3 Dakotas that were now reaching the end of their lifespan. Avro was not the only company to see the potential for a DC-3 replacement, and by this point the Fokker F27 "Friendship" was well advanced. Avro decided to compete by producing a design with better short-field performance, allowing it to operate from smaller airports.

The first aircraft flew from Avro's Woodford plant on 24 June 1960, and two prototypes quickly proved the type's short field performance. Eighteen Avro 748 Series 1 aircraft were produced, the first for British Skyways Coach-Air (later known as Dan-Air) but the majority for Aerolíneas Argentinas. By this point Avro's individual identity within the Hawker Siddeley Group had ended and the design was known as the HS 748.

The Series 2 entered production in 1961 with a higher take-off weight, and were produced to 198 examples, making it one of the most popular post-war British designs. The more powerful Series 2A followed for another 71, along with another 25 Series 2Bs.

The 748 Series 1 and Series 2 was licence-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as the HAL-748. HAL built 89 aircraft in India, 72 for the Indian Air Force and 17 for the Indian Airlines Corporation.

Hawker Siddeley became part of British Aerospace in the mid-1970s with the Series 2B becoming the main production model.

The last 748s were built as "Super 748s" with hush-kitted Rolls-Royce Dart engines, in 1987.

The ICAO designator as used in flight plans is A748.

Military variants

The 748 has been popular as a military variant. Some versions are:

* The Royal Air Force ordered a version (as the Hawker Siddeley Andover C1) modified with a raised tailplane to accommodate a rear loading ramp and a kneeling undercarriage.

* A maritime patrol version of the later model was the Coastguarder.

* The later production for the Indian Air Force (the last 20 built) were Series 2M aircraft with a Large Freight Door.

* Indian aircraft were later modified for a variety of roles including a trials aircraft for an Airborne Early Warning version fitted with a large radome, known as the Airborne Surveillance Platform (ASP).

Accidents and incidents

There have been 19 notable accidents involving the 748:

* 11 October 1983 - Air Illinois crashed after electrical power failure, all six on board died.
* 27 June 1987 - Philippine Airlines Flight 206 crashed onto a mountain after poor visibility hampered the pilot's attempt to land at Loakan Airport in Baguio City, Philippines. All 50 passengers and crew died in the crash.
* 10 November 1993 - Air Manitoba Flight NAM 205/206 crashed just after takeoff killing all seven onboard. The accident was attributed to a "Loss of situational awareness during night takeoff" by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in its 58 page report No. A93H0023
* 1 June 2002 [cite web |url=http://www.caa.co.za/resource%20center/accidents%20&%20incid/reports/2002/ZS-OJU.htm |title=Accident Report of SZ-OJU, which occured on 1 June 2002 |accessdate=2008-08-08 |work= |publisher=South African Civil Aviation Authority |date= ] - Former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje's scheduled flight home from Bloemfontein to George had been grounded, so he hitched a ride as the only passenger on a cargo flight in an HS 748. Near George airport, the pilots lost visibility in cloud, and were unable to land, partly due to unserviceable navigational equipment. While circling, the plane crashed into the Outeniqua mountains northeast of the airport. Cronje, aged 32, and the two pilots were killed instantly. An inquest by South Africa's High Court reached the conclusion that "the death of the deceased Wessel Johannes (Hansie) Cronje was brought about by an act or omission prima facie amounting to an offence on the part of pilots." [ [http://www.smh.com.au/news/cricket/cronje-inquest-opens/2006/08/08/1154802862135.html Cronje inquest opens] ] [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4790609.stm Pilot error caused Cronje crash] ] However, with Cronje's involvement in match-fixing, theories that Cronje was murdered on the orders of a cricket betting syndicate have flourished since his death. [ [http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/2710 Did a cricketer kill Woolmer?] ]

Operators

Civil operators

In August 2007 a total of 59 Avro 748 aircraft (all variants) remain in airline service. Current operators are [Flight International, 21-27 October 2007] :

;BAN
*Best Air (2)
*Bismillah Airlines (1)
*Z Airways (1);CMR
*Cameroon Airlines (1);CAN
*Air Creebec (4)
*Air Inuit (4)
*Air North (4)
*Calm Air (6)
*First Air (3)
*Wasaya Airways (5);COD
*International Trans Air Business (1)
*Trans Service Airlift (2);COM:
*Comores Aviation (2);GUI
*Guinee Air Cargo (1);HON
*Atlantic Airlines de Honduras (1);IDN
*Bali Air (4)
*Bouraq Indonesian Airlines (2)
*Merpati (2);KEN
*748 Air Service (1)
*African Commuter Services (1);NEP
*Royal Nepal Airlines (1)
*NOR
*Fred. Olsens Flyselskap (1);RSA:
*Executive Aerospace (5)
*Stars Away Aviation (2);SRI
*Aero Lanka (1);SWE:
*West Air Sweden (1);UK
*Janes Aviation (2)

Military operators

;ARG
*Argentine Air Force;AUS
*Royal Australian Air Force
**School of Air Navigation RAAF/No. 32 Squadron RAAF
**No. 34 Squadron RAAF
*Fleet Air Arm (RAN)
**No. 723 Squadron RAN
**No. 851 Squadron RAN;BEL
*Belgian Air Force (Three operated from 1976)
**21 Squadron;BEN;BRA;BRN;BFA;COL;ECU
*Ecuadorian Air Force;IND
*Indian Air Force;MAD;NPL;KOR;SRI;TAN
*Tanzania People's Defence Force;THA
*Royal Thai Air Force;UK
*Royal Air Force;VEN;ZAM

pecifications (Super 748)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades, 1994-95cite book |last= Michell|first= Simon (editor)|title= Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades, 1994-95 |year=1994 |publisher= Jane's Information Group |isbn= 0 7106 1208 7]

crew=Three (two pilots + one passenger attendant)
capacity=40-58 passengers
payload main=5,136 kg
payload alt=11,323 lb
length main= 20.42 m
length alt=67 ft 0 in
span main=31.23 m
span alt=102 ft 5½ in
height main=7.57 m
height alt=24 ft 10 in
area main= 77 m²
area alt= 829 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 12,327 kg
empty weight alt= 27,126 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=21,092 kg
max takeoff weight alt= 46,500 lb
more general=

engine (prop)= Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.7 Mk 536-2
type of prop=turboprop
number of props=2
power main= 1,700 kW
power alt= 2,280 ehp
power original=

max speed main=
max speed alt=
cruise speed main= 452 km/h
cruise speed alt= 244 knots, 281 mph
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 1,715 km
range alt= 926 nm, 1,066 mi
range more= (with max payload)
ceiling main= 7,620 m
ceiling alt= 25,000 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=274 kg/m²
loading alt=56.1 lb/ft²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=0.161 kW/kg
power/mass alt= 0.0981 hp/lb
more performance=

armament=

avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Hawker Siddeley Andover
* BAe ATP

similar aircraft=
* Fokker F27
* Handley Page Herald
* NAMC YS-11

lists=

see also=
* List of civil aircraft

References

External links

* [http://www.spyflight.co.uk/HS%20748%20AEW.HTM BAe/HS 748 AEW]