Just Flight HS 748 PROPLINER

Just Flight and Aeroplane Heaven have released another British classic aircraft – the Avro HS 748 short-haul turbo prop airliner. Peter Stark takes it for a flight.

Born of a need

In post World War Two commercial aviation, the venerable DC-3 Dakota reigned. There were plenty available, they were initially cheap to buy, run and maintain. However, as time went by, many operators considered the DC-3 no longer economical to fly on many routes and so aircraft manufacturers investigated possible replacement designs. While the four-engined Vickers Viscount and twin-engine Fokker F-27 Friendship had good footholds in the short-haul market, an opening into that sector was identified by Avro. What the others lacked was a short-field capability with a strong landing gear in a low wing configuration, coupled with a large payload, that could operate autonomously from more remote airfields.

The result was the 40-seat 748 which first flew in 1960 and saw immediate sales. Within two years, as Avro became fully absorbed into the parent Hawker Siddeley group, it became known as the HS 748.

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