G-VMIA, the only -100 series aircraft in the fleet, had a notable background, which I'm sure others had more experience of and have more detail. Originally with American Airlines in 1970, they latterly didn't make a lot of use of them on US domestics, and it was handed back to the lessor, where it hung around for several years getting odd short-term leases. This was the aircraft that Randolph Fields picked up, as despite its low hours it was the cheapest on the market, following his pioneering Virgin bust-up with SRB, for his own abortive Highland Express operation Stansted-Prestwick-JFK in 1987, as G-HIHO. The most unreliable 747 ever, it became renowned, even into the national press, for going tech, very difficult when it's your only aircraft and your maintenance contract is in Brussels. Lasted less than a year, it went back to odd sub-leases until finally Virgin picked it up in 1990 now as G-VMIA and ran it for the next 10 years. I understand they spent a considerable amount on it, new interior, D-check, whatever, but to the end it was the most unreliable and highest maintenance unit in the fleet. Among the first of the fleet to be withdrawn, nobody else wanted it and it was scrapped, well before 9/11.
Last edited by WHBM; 29th Nov 2020 at 02:06.