IWM Duxford

She was allocated the RAF serial FE695 and served with the Royal Canadian Air Force training Commonwealth pilot trainees well out of the reach of enemy aircraft under the auspices of the Empire Air Training Scheme. FE695 wears the colours she wore during the latter war years in Canada giving tutelage to Commonwealth pilot trainees with the individual aircraft number ’94’. Here it gets airbourne with another air experience flight.

The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. The BAe 146 is a high-wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail. It has four geared turbofan engines mounted on pylons underneath the wings, and has a retractable tricycle landing gear.

The 146 was introduced into Royal Air Force service in 1986 as a VIP transport and is operated by 32 (The Royal) Squadron. ZE701 is one of two BAe146 Statesman VIP models that were owned by RAF. In 1986 when it was delivered to the RAF it was part of what was then called the Queen’s Flight. In 1995 the Queens Flight was merged with No32 Squadron, which then became the Royal Squadron. On retiral from RAF service it has been donated to the IWM and after conservation work it will join the civilian airframes on the flightline available for visitor walk throughs.