Britten-Norman Islander

History of the Britton-Norman Islander

The Britton-Norman BN-2 Islander is a British light utility and feeder line designed and built by Britton-Norman, England airliner. The Islander is still in production and is one of the best-selling commercial aircraft types produced in Europe. Although designed in the 1960s, more than 750 are still in service with commercial operators around the world.

The aircraft is a light transport vehicle with more than 30 military flight operators worldwide.

The first aircraft were built at Britten-Norman's factory in Beinbridge, Isle of Wight, UK. After Fairey Aviation took over Britten-Norman, its Islanders and Trislander aircraft were built in Romania and then delivered to Avions Fairey in Belgium for completion before flying to the UK for certification.

Islander has been in production for over 50 years.

Specification

BASICS

Year of Service

1965

Origins

UK

Status

Active.

Crew

2

Production

1,280

Manufacturer

Britten-Norman - UK

Operators

Angola; Bahrain; Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; Bahamas; Belgium; Belize; Botswana; Brazil; British Virgin Islands; Cambodia; Canada; Central African Republic; Chile; Costa Rica; Cisque; Colombia; Cyprus; Denmark; Democratic Republic of Congo; Ecuador; Estonia; Falkland Islands; Fiji; Finland; France; Gambia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Hong Kong; Iceland ; India; Indonesia; Iraq; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Jordan; Kiribati; Madagascar; Mali; Malawi; Malaysia; Malta; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Myanmar (Burma); Nepal; Netherlands; Netherlands Antilles; New Zealand; Oman; Panama; Pakistan; Peru; Philippines; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Qatar; Rhodesia; Romania; Rwanda; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Samoa; Senegal ; Seychelles; Somalia; South Africa; Suriname; Taiwan; Thailand; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States; Vanuatu; Venezuela; Zaire; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Roles

Transportation

General transport function for moving supplies/cargo or people (including casualties and VIPs) out of range.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

35.6 feet

(10.85m)

Width/span

49. 0 feet

(14.95m)

Height

13.7 feet

(4.18m)

Cured weight

3,671 lbs

(1,665 kg)

MTOW

6,614 lbs

(3,000 kg)

Wgt Difference

+2,943 lbs

(+1,335 kg)

Performance

Installed:

2 x Lycoming O-540-E4CS / IO-540 engines, 260 / 300 hp each.

Maximum speed

171 km/h

(275 km/h | 148 knots)

Maximum

13,205 feet

(4,025 m | 3 km)

Area

870 km

(1,400 km | 2,593 nautical miles)

rate of climb

970 ft/min

(296 m/min)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Armor

None.

VARIANTS

Islander - name of the base series