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Norwich Airport: Jet lifted over road to aviation museum

BBC Avro RJ85 being lifted over road by cranesBBC
An Avro RJ85 was lifted over Norwich's northern bypass road by heavy cranes

A plane that frequently flew from a city's airport has been lifted by crane to its new home in an adjacent museum.

Norwich's Northern Distributor Road was closed so that the Avro RJ85 could be lifted into place at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum on Friday.

The plane, donated by City Jet, will serve as an example of the BAe 146 series that has used Norwich Airport since 1983.

The aircraft was popular as it was less noisy than other jets, the museum said.

Avro RJ85
City Jet operated several RJ85 aircraft that served destinations across Europe

"Its quiet operation has been the key to its success," a spokesman said.

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The RJ85 will be on display at the museum alongside other commercial aircraft, such as the Handley Page Herald and the Fokker Friendship.

CNAM Fokker FriendshipCNAM
The RJ85 will be joining other passenger aircraft at the City of Norwich Aviation Museum, such as this Handley Page Herald

City Jet, the last operator of this particular RJ85 aircraft, has a long association with Norwich Airport.

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The Avro RJ85

  • British Aerospace's Avro RJ Series evolved from the BAe 146 regional and short-haul jet and was introduced in 1993
  • It was marketed as a "whisper" jet because, although it had four wing-mounted engines, it was quieter than many other aircraft
  • Because it could take off and land on shorter runways it was most popular airports with those restrictions, such as London City
  • The RJ Series had three configurations - the RJ70 with 70-82 seats, the RJ85 with 85-100 seats and RJ100 with 97-112 seats
  • With 387 aircraft produced, the Avro RJ/BAe 146 is said to have been the most successful British civil jet airliner programme
  • City Jet retired its fleet of 19 aircraft in 2018, in line with many other operators
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