Silhouette traced from a photo by Pedro Aragão · CC BY-SA 3.0
Hawker Siddeley · Midsize Jet
HS-125 Series 1A, 1B and 3
The first main production versions of the 125, after eight Series 1 jets and before the Series 400.
An important airplane, not a practical one. The early 125 still offers a roomy cabin and a 430-knot cruise, but its Viper engines fail US Stage 3 noise rules, the FAA lists no noise kit, and range with four passengers is under 1,000 nm.
Buy it if
You are a collector, museum or operator based outside the US lower 48, you want a piece of business-jet history, and you can reach Viper engine expertise. In the US, consider only an example converted to TFE731 turbofans.
Skip it if
You need US mainland airports, predictable maintenance costs, more than about 950 nm with passengers aboard, or an aircraft you can easily insure, finance and resell.
Biggest compromise
Legal access. Since January 2016, jets of 75,000 lb or less that miss Stage 3 noise limits may not use airports in the 48 contiguous states, except for limited trips such as ferrying for maintenance, export or scrapping.
The numbers that matter
What it costs per year
$1.57M
at 300 hrs · two professional pilots
How far it flies
1,185 nm
About 900–1,000 nm with passengers
How fast
430 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
7
7 typical, 8 maximum
Pilots needed
2
Two pilots required on every flight.
Price
What one costs to buy
Typical asking price
$0
Other sites
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
No airworthy example is advertised and no published price guide covers these versions. Sales are private deals, typically near parts value.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
HS 125-700 (Hawker 700)
$400K–$642K guide
Guide value, not a listed asking price.
See the HS 125-700 (Hawker 700)For sale now
None listed right now
Cost to own
What it costs per year to run
300hours / year
Per year
Per flight hour
Estimate — your operator will quote actual numbers.
Fuel, airframe maintenance, scheduled and unscheduled and other (landing fees, permits, supplies) rise as you fly more. Two professional pilots, recurrent pilot training, hangar, hull and liability insurance and charts, databases and tracking stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
Partial estimate- Two professional pilots$280,00018%
- Recurrent pilot training$55,0004%
- Hangar$42,0003%
- Hull and liability insurance$55,0004%
- Charts, databases and tracking$7,5000%
- Fuel$890,34057%
- Airframe maintenance, scheduled and unscheduled$210,00013%
- Other (landing fees, permits, supplies)$30,0002%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 57% of the total.
The JetGrade
36 out of 100 — Far below its class
Peer group: HS-125-400, Sabreliner 40 / 40A, Falcon 20 (20C / 20D / 20E / 20F), Learjet 25 / 25B / 25C / 25D
Seven categories at a glance
- - - 70 = typical— This aircraft
Strongest on speed & trip time, weakest on airport access.
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-10-28.
Where it flies
Sample trips and reach
Typical trips on a map
Nonstop
Depends on weight or weather
Fuel stop likely
Out of reach
1 of 8 sample trips are comfortable nonstops.
Sample flight times
- 1.0 hr
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
205 nm · Noise rule bars Viper versions from lower-48 airports
- 2.0 hr
Carlsbad → Aspen
625 nm · Hot-and-high; noise rule also bars Viper versions
- 2.4 hr
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
765 nm · Short runway limits weight; noise rules bar Santa Ana
- 2.7 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Edge of range; noise rules bar both airports
- 3.9 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · One stop; noise rules bar both airports
- 4.5 hr
Teterboro → San Juan
1,410 nm · One stop in Florida; noise rules bar Teterboro
- 6.7 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · Two stops; noise rules bar both airports
Los Angeles → Honolulu
2,215 nm · Beyond range; no fuel stop on this crossing
Lineage
What came before and after
1963–1964
DH.125 Series 1
Original version: Viper 520 engines and six cabin windows per side.
1964–1968
HS-125-1A / -1B / -3
Uprated Viper engines, US certification and heavier long-range versions.
What changed from the DH.125 Series 1
- Viper 521 engines at 3,120 lb thrust, then Viper 522 at 3,330 lb, up from 3,000 lb.
- Five cabin windows per side instead of six, to reduce noise inside the cabin.
- Series 1A was the first 125 certified in the US, opening the North American market.
- Series 3 raised maximum takeoff weight to 21,700 lb; RA versions reach 22,700 lb.
- R and RA versions add a 135-gallon fuel tank under the rear fuselage.
Size and cabin
How big it is, inside and out
Outside
Silhouette · scaled to length
Length
Wingspan
Height
Inside the cabin
Cabin length
Width
Height
Compare
How it stacks up
This aircraft
HS-125 Series 1A, 1B and 3
- JetGrade
- 36
- Cost per year
- $1.57M
- Range
- 1,185 nm
- Speed
- 430 kt
- Seats
- 7
- Cabin length
- 19′ 4″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1964–1968
← Before
DH.125 Series 1
Not yet graded
After →
- JetGrade
- 63
- Price
- $576K–$576K guide
- Cost per year
- $1.75M
- Range
- 2,150 nm
- Speed
- 420 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 19′ 4″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1968–1973
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 68
- Price
- $400K–$642K guide
- Cost per year
- $1.82M
- Range
- 2,170 nm
- Speed
- 430 kt
- Seats
- 8
- Cabin length
- 21′ 4″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1977–1984
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 67
- Price
- $581K–$920K guide
- Cost per year
- $1.31M
- Range
- 2,196 nm
- Speed
- 451 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 12′ 11″
- Pilots
- 2
- Years built
- 1974–1993
- BAe / HS 125-700 (Hawker 700) instead: The same family with factory TFE731 turbofans, a longer cabin and much better range, backed by mainstream Honeywell engine support.
- HS-125-400 instead: The next version, with an outward airstair door and higher weights; Viper examples face the same noise ban, so look for a TFE731-converted one.
- Learjet 35 / 35A instead: An inexpensive, fast TFE731-powered jet that can still use US mainland airports, with around 2,000 nm of range in a tighter cabin.
Gold marks the best figure in each row.
Owning one
What to know before you buy
Engines & inspections
2 × Bristol Siddeley (Rolls-Royce) Viper 522 turbojet (Viper 521 on early 1A/1B) · 3,330 lbf each
Engine hours until overhaul
- Entry door frame eddy current · 1,000 hr
No pay-per-hour engine program covers the Viper; owners fund overhauls directly, and specialist shops are few.
Known issues
Barred by US noise rules
Viper-engined examples miss Stage 3 limits and cannot use airports in the 48 contiguous states without special FAA permission.
No noise kit available
When the FAA wrote the rule, it listed no hush kit for the HS-125 Series 1, 2 or 3.
Scarce engine support
Viper overhaul capacity and parts are scarce; an engine problem can ground the aircraft for a long time.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 9 checked
Textron Aviation holds the type certificate and supports Hawker documentation, but expertise in the Viper-era 125 is concentrated in a handful of independent shops, many outside the US.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- A 19 ft 4 in long, 6 ft wide cabin with 5 ft 9 in of headroom along a recessed aisle.
- Cruises at about 430 knots and flies as high as 41,000 ft, quick for a jet designed around 1960.
- A TFE731-3 turbofan conversion was approved for Series 1A, 3A and 3A/RA airframes, a quieter and more economical path.
Limitations
- Viper turbojets miss US Stage 3 noise limits, barring unmodified aircraft from airports in the 48 contiguous states since 2016.
- Range is 1,185 nm at best and roughly 950 nm with four passengers and standard fuel reserves.
- Thirsty: roughly 380 gallons of fuel an hour, or about $890,000 a year at 300 hours.
The Series 1A, 1B and 3 are the first main production versions of the de Havilland 125, the British business jet later sold as the Hawker Siddeley 125 and still being built as the Hawker 900XP in 2013. They followed eight original Series 1 aircraft and entered service from late 1964. The A suffix marked aircraft built to US certification standards and the B suffix those sold elsewhere. Around 142 were built: 77 Series 1A and 1B, then 65 heavier Series 3 aircraft, including R and RA versions with a 135-gallon fuel tank under the rear fuselage. All used two Bristol Siddeley (later Rolls-Royce) Viper turbojets, and the Series 400 replaced them in 1968.
Pilot's take
The early 125 flies like a solid, honest airplane: stable, predictable and built with airliner-style systems. The challenge is the engines. Viper turbojets respond more slowly than modern turbofans and burn fuel quickly down low, so crews climb high early and plan every trip around fuel. With roughly 6,200 ft of runway needed at maximum weight, short or hot-and-high fields call for careful weight planning. Two pilots are required, and finding instructors who know this version takes effort. Its cruise speed still feels brisk for a design of its era; its fuel stops and noise limits feel very dated.
Who this is for
A collector, museum or overseas operator who values the 125's place in business-aviation history and can support rare Viper turbojets. Most US buyers drawn to this airframe should look at TFE731-converted examples or a later Hawker 700.
Ask about this aircraft
Answers come only from our research file on the HS-125-1A / -1B / -3.
Your earlier questionsOwners
Private to verified ownersOwn a Hawker Siddeley HS-125 Series 1A, 1B and 3? Verify with its FAA registration to join the owners' thread and the real-cost poll.