The de Havilland DH-125 series was intended as a jet-engined replacement for the de Havilland DH-104 Dove executive aircraft, the project being announced in February 1961.
Over the years development of the series continued, one variant being the Series 900XP which was a model which combined the airframe, operating weights and systems of the 850XP model, including the winglets, but which was fitted with the new Honeywell TFE731-50R turbofan which provided a five percent reduction in
The Hastings was designed as a replacement for the Avro York transport in RAF service, and the prototype (TE580) made its first flight at Wittering on 7 May 1946, the second prototype (TE583) being flown for the first time on 30 December that year.
Once the Hawker 800 series was placed in production British Aerospace looked at a further development of the type and, despite being the most capable model of all the various models, only 52 examples were completed.
The Royal Aero club of Great Britain in 1924 organised a competition amongst the designers of the time to build a light aircraft suitable for weekend pilots.