BAe 146: Uncover the 4-Engine Mystery!

Video from the channel Matt's Aviation Channel about BAe 146, linked on its Above Ten Thousand entry. Duration: 5:32. Language: English. Video type: Documentary.

The video, presented by two hosts, explains why a regional aircraft as small as the BAe 146 carries four engines.

Hawker Siddeley, later British Aerospace, wanted a self-sufficient regional jet, with its own APU and airstairs, able to operate at any airport without ground equipment. Rolls-Royce could not develop an engine for it and went bankrupt in 1971, so the company turned to Avco Lycoming.

The ALF 502 is derived from the T55 turboshaft, the one used in the Chinook helicopter. Two did not provide enough thrust, so four were fitted. In exchange for higher fuel burn and maintenance, this provides redundancy and short-field capability. The aircraft has no thrust reversers: it brakes using the tail airbrake, the spoilers and the wheel brakes.