Minardi's former cargo jet rusting away in a field

[John]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/superspotter/50135061792

I honestly have no idea where to post this, so this subforum will do. That image honestly made me a bit sad and nostalgic.

https://www.airhistory.net/photos/0123512.jpg How it used to look in it's heyday.

[MonteCristo]

[Everso Biggyballies]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/superspotter/50135061792

I honestly have no idea where to post this, so this subforum will do. That image honestly made me a bit sad and nostalgic.

https://www.airhistory.net/photos/0123512.jpg How it used to look in it's heyday.

Looks like a BAC 1-11 aircraft.... so they are pretty long in the tooth. (Stoddard started his airline buying a couple from I think a BA subsidiary in 1989. He bought some more a couple of years later from the RAAF and Dan Air. In fact European were the last airline to operate 1-11's. The last ones he purchased were bought to make money selling for spares to Africa. I think cancelled orders for the planes forced him to refurb them and use them for EA in various configurations from executive jets (he had bought a load of s/h 1st class seats!) through to tourist charter planes. In 1998 I know he had 16 1-11s in service and they were all in the air working on the same day once, I remember reading. I think they ended up failing noise restrictions introduced and he developed silencers for them.

I know that when he sponsored Tyrrell in 1997 his sponsorship was involved in their transportation needs in Europe. He had intended to buy Tyrrell (he already had a couple of old Tyrrells in his personal F1 collection) when they became available but got gazumped by BAT and lost out. He moved his sponsorship to Jordan with the same sort of transporting deal. He also got involved with Arrows and their F3000 team (I think that is where the Mark Webber connection spawned)

The Minardi liveried plane was in fact more a VIP transporter, and I know Murray Walker used to be one of those that flew regularly in it because it was based near his home.

[Ian-S]

If you frequent some of the urban explorer forums you'll know they've all at some point scouted out the old Caterham F1 factory, the first lot in there were very lucky as they found unused tubs, moulds and trophies. The golden rule of urb-x-ing is like wild camping, leave no trace, but as soon as it was known it would take security over an hour to get there once the alarms were triggered (if they could be bothered and didn't assume wildlife had set it off), the kids went in and trashed the place.

It's still there and accessible iirc. I did consider going up there once but got scared shitless but a big burly security guy and dog who was guarding the old local sand works that I gave up (and I was only walking past on the path at the time, hadn't even jumped the fence).

I've not clicked the photo link cos the tablet doesn't work them, but is this plane sitting in the same airfield where all of the BA 747's are going?

[Everso Biggyballies]

Found the full history of that particular plane, G-AVMT......a BAC 1-11 510-ED. It was originally a BEA plane, first flown in January 1969. Shows all its many liveries over the years.

http://www.bac1-11jet.co.uk/bac1-11jet. ... re%201.htm