British Aerospace (Handley Page/Scottish Aviation) Jetstream
Wishing to remain an independent aircraft manufacturer in the UK Handley Page saw a market in the 1960s for a turboprop powered commuter aircraft somewhat larger than the Beechcraft King Air, Turbo Commander and Swearingen Merlin II. This became the HP137 Jetstream. After Handley Page went bankrupt, Scottish Aviation took over production, which then ended in 1975. The deregulation of the airlines in the USA at the end of the 1970s brought a new demand, which British Aerospace was willing to satisfy with a revived version of the Jetstream. This was easy as Scottish Aviation had been absorbed into the company.
The Jetstream has a relatively wide, circular fuselage, with quite a long, pointed nose. Together with the seven flat cockpit windows it gives the aircraft a characteristic front appearance. The fuselage has large oval cabin windows, in portrait mode. The tail is of a cruciform design. The main gear has single wheels and retracts sideways in the wings. The nose gear has two wheels and retracts forward in the nose.
Different versions
The different versions of the Jetstream can be identified by looking at:
- the shape of the engine nacelles
- the shape of the nose
Details will follow later.
Confusion possible with
Swearingen/Fairchild Merlin III
The Merlin III was a short body development of the Metroliner. This makes that the Merlin is proportionally more similar in appearance to the Jetstream than the Metro described below. The Merlin has larger, landscape oriented rectangular cabin windows though and two wheels on the main gear, that retracts in the nacelles.
Swearingen/Fairchild Metroliner
Falls in the same category as the Jetstream and as similar features, like a cruciform tail (but much bigger dorsal fin) and the engine nacelles. The Metroliner has a narrower, longer fuselage though, with rectangular cabin windows and fewer cockpit windows. The main gear has double wheels and retracts forward in the nacelles.
British Aerospace Jetstream 41
This is the bigger brother of the Jetstream 31, and both have significant similarities. The Jetstream 41 has six cockpit windows though, a cabin door at the front, a less tall vertical stabiliser and a much larger wing-fuselage fairing (not to be confused with a baggage pod).
Embraer EMB110 Bandeirante
The size is about the same as the Jetstream, as is the general configuration, but the Bandeirante has a regular tail, an all single wheel gear, a shorter nose and rectangular cabin windows in landscape mode.
Beech 99
The Beech 99 is contemporary to the first generation Jetstream. It however has square, non rounded cabin windows, a rearward retracting single wheel nose gear, double wheels on the main gear and a regular tail. The nacelles are also different.