Airframe history, G-BPDA/G-ORAL
I'm still researching some specific details (mostly colour schemes and significant dates) for this history, which I will add in when found. However, now that the nose of this aircraft is at the Crowne Plaza/Speke Aerodrome site, I'll relate what I've found so far.BAe.748-2A G-ORAL
Airframe HS.748, Set number 227, was allocated Hawker Siddeley constructor's number 1756 and was built during 1977 at the Woodford site as series 2A/334 aircraft. As Hawker Siddeley had become part of British Aerospace wef 1.4.77, this aircraft is more correctly a BAe.748, although oft referred to as HS,748. For test flying wore Avro sequence 'B-class' registration
G-11-8. The first flight took place at Woodford on 7th December 1977, being seen the same day making an ILS and go-around at Manchester Airport flown by test pilot 'Avro 5'. Three weeks later the aircraft set off fully painted in customer livery on delivery to the Caribbean.
By now wearing registration
9Y-TFS the aircraft was delivered to
Trinidad and Tobago Air Services Ltd on 23rd December 1977. 9Y-TFS was the first of 6 x BAe.748s ordered, and was the first '748 to enter service with the airline on 28th December on their 'Airbridge' service linking Piarco Airport, Port of Spain with Crown Point, Tobago, replacing Douglas DC-6B equipment. The 6 BAe.748s were delivered 12.77 to 11.79, the operator merged wef 1.1.80 with the official name
Trinidad and Tobago (BWIA International) Airways Corp. Initially named
'James Fargo', later changed to
'A.P.T.James'. In addition to the high frequency 'Airbridge' service, the '748s were used from 10.84 on twice daily Port of Spain to Grenada and 7.85 St.Lucia to Port de France, Martinique routes. The first pair left on sale to Euroair 4.86, another pair to Chieftain 12.86 and the final pair to Bradley in Canada 9.87.
So after 9 years of service in the Caribbean, the aircraft returned to Europe and was registered in the UK for the first time, becoming
G-GLAS on 19th December 1986. While on delivery en route to the UK, either G-GLAS or G-EDIN suffered two cockpit windows shattered by the cold at Goose Bay and subsequent ice on the cockpit switches, costing the new owner £70,000 to put right. The new owners were start-up operator
Chieftain Airways of Glasgow. The company commenced scheduled services 30.3.87 Glasgow to Brussels (adding Edinburgh as an en route stop later), Frankfurt and Hamburg'. After just six weeks operations were suspended 13th May 1987 with a withdrawal of financial support and a receiver appointed. The Airline's two BAe.748s and a Beech 200 were subsequently stored at Glasgow.
While stored at Glasgow, the technical logs for G-GLAS and G-EDIN went 'missing'. This caused a lengthy delay in the sale as the documentation had to be reconstructed. Although Dan Air and British Airways had showed interest, both BAe.748s were acquired by another Scottish start-up operator
Scottish European Airways in early October 1988. Within a few days, on 7.10.88 she was re-registered as
G-BPDA, while G-EDIN became G-BPFU. Within a few days, G-BPDA made the first visit to Liverpool by this aircraft, on Saturday 22nd October 1988 on circuit training 1339-1652. Further visits on Sunday 23rd 1112-1326 (cut short by a servicability issue), Monday 24th 1117-1815 and Wednesday 26th 1225-1351 - all these training visits were from and to Manchester.
Scottish European Airways (3-letter designator 'SEU', call-sign 'Clanspeed'), commenced scheduled services 31st October 1988 between Glasgow and Brussels. Later (on 24.3.89) Edinburgh was introduced as an en route stop and Glasgow to Frankfurt (and possibly other routes) introduced. G-BPDA was named
'European Spirit of Strathcylde'. It would appear that G-BPDA never carried passengers into Liverpool, although she was used on an extra night mail flight (due to a rail dispute), f&t Glasgow as SEU417/418 arriving 2337 on Tuesday 11th July 1989, leaving 0232 on 12th. On another 5 nights that month G-BPFU was used by SEA for night mail. Early in 1990 the airline announced a major investment plan, expansion and move into jet equipment. However, the re-financing plan got entangled in red-tape and during March 1990 G-BPDA was impounded for non-payment of fees at Frankfurt (and G-BPFU at Manchester). The CAA withdrew route licences 30.3.90 and despite big plans for a come-back, the airline ceased trading and was eventually wound-up 9.8.91.
G-BPDA was not stranded at Frankfurt for long as she was purchased by
Greyhound Financial Services Ltd, with change of ownership notified 29.8.90 and (most probably in August) ferried back to the UK and a period of storage at Exeter.
After a period at Exeter, G-BPDA was purchased by the Blackpool based
Janes Aviation Ltd during October 1991 to supplement/replace their 2 HPR-7 Dart Heralds and become the first of very many HS.748s acquired by the operator over the next 15 years. Initial visits to Liverpool with Janes were on 17th December and again on 20th December 1991 as flight JAV404/405, from & to Isle of Man with extra Christmas mail.
I still need to trace the visits to Liverpool that were made during 1992.At the end of September 1992 Janes gained the contract for two 'Speke Spokes' night mail flights, initially they used recently acquired former Dan Air HS.748s on their first regular Liverpool contracts. G-BPDA was used as a substitute aircraft 14 & 15th January 1993 on JAV144/145 from & to Edinburgh and on 22nd February positioned in from the IoM and then out on an aircraft swop to Edinburgh with the mail.
On 1st June 1993 Janes Aviation moved their operational base from Blackpool to Liverpool. G-BPDA was the second (of the 5 HS.748s in service) to arrive as a based aircraft, landing at 0737 hours on Saturday 29th May on JAN362 from the Isle of Man, and subsequently operated the new Liverpool - Isle of Man contract throughout June. The 3-letter designator was changed from JAV to JAN during 1993.
In September 1993 Janes was renamed to reflect its Irish Sea focus of operations as
Emerald Airways Ltd. Initially G-BPA was operated in all white, with a red cheatline below the windows (part of the Scottish European Colours) and a small 'Lynx Parcels' logo on the tail. G-BPDA was repainted at Exeter 4.3 to 26.3.94, returning to Liverpool white with a small green Emerald gemstone tail logo, but no fuselage titles. Away at Exeter again, returning 4.2.95, now in full
Reed Aviation green and red cheats, tail logo and cabin roof titles, matching G-ATMI and G-BEJD. At the time of the repaint she acquired the individual name
"John J.Goodall". The aircraft was chartered to newspaper freight company, Reed Aviation from February 1995.
G-BPDA positioned from Liverpool to Woodford 9.8.99, returning 19.8.99 re-painted in new
Reed Aviation colours, with the company name in large script on the fuselage, aft of the wing and wearing a new registration,
G-ORAL reflecting
Go Reed
Aviation
Ltd. Official re-registration date 13.8.99. The new individual fleet name
"The Paper Plane", below the cockpit windows, was applied at the time of this repaint.
Although the charter to Reeds Aviation had ended, G-ORAL was still in the Reeds green and red scheme (less titles), and still named
'The Paper Plane' when Emerald's AoC was suspended on 4th May 2006. Indeed G-ORAL operated Emerald's flights JEM421/422, the Belfast - Liverpool mail flights on 2nd & 3rd May, and on the final day of operations, 4th May, was again in Liverpool on freight flight JEM911.
By the time of the company entering administration with
KPMG on 11th May 2006, the aircraft was at Blackpool. Sold by the administrators to
PTB (Emerald) PTY Ltd 12.12.06. Along with most of the former Emerald HS.748 fleet, G-ORAL was grounded at Blackpool. The Certificate of Airworthiness expired 12.11.07, and she was used as a spares source until eventually permanently withdrawn from use, the CAA being notified 15.6.09. G-ORAL eventually being cut up for scrap, with the nose section being rescued 2009 from Blackpool for preservation, initially at Hooton Park, then spent summer 2010 at Newark Air Museum before transport to Liverpool Speke Aerodrome 22nd October 2010.
Although the aircraft's first visit (10/88) to Liverpool was after the commercial closure of the north airfield (3/86), the aircraft has a span of 19 years of operations through Liverpool Airport (10/88-5/06) with two airline owners (out of 4), during a working life span of nearly 30 (12/77-5/06) years. It was Jane's first (10/91) HS.748, not long after (12/91) was first used into Liverpool, and operated from Liverpool on the first day (6/93) of Janes being based at Liverpool and years later operated its last commercial service through Liverpool (5/06).
Although not the final figures, it is known that on 31.12.04, G-ORAL had recorded an airframe total time of 17,779 hours.
This account compiled by Brian Jones for nwan forum using 'HS.748 Production Story' Air Britain, 'Airliner Production Lists' TAHS, CAA G-INFO site, and Paul Ellison's (and others) 'British Airlines' and 'Liverpool Movements' sections in NWAN magazines 1986-1993 & 2006.
If any readers have photos of this aircraft anywhere (not just at Liverpool) as Trinidad and Tobago/BWIA, Chieftain, Scottish European, initial Janes/Emerald, or even in the final Reed Aviation scheme, as G-11-8, 9Y-TFS, G-GLAS, G-BPDA or G-ORAL, I'd be absolutely delighted if they would post them here. I'm really hoping members can illustrate the past colours of this aircraft.
