Originally Posted by
Sotonsean
Regarding the BAC 1-11.
I wonder if the BAC 1-11 had more designations attached to it than any other British built commercial aircraft.🤔
Although the One-Eleven had separate designations for each customer, these didn't give any real indication of differences (or similarities) between them, which became relevant once they were moved on secondhand, and some carriers refitted aircraft to a common standard.
The BEA 500-series fleet were notably oddball, having less range and completely different instrumentation. This had been done to make them consistent with the Trident, but among other things the flight deck switches went the opposite way to other One-Elevens. This was sufficiently a concern to the CAA that when B Cal was merged into BA in 1988, with a substantial "normal" One-Eleven fleet, they were required to keep them separated, with different crew qualifications (possibly engineers as well), which was maintained to the end of their service. The BA standard ones were kept at Heathrow and Manchester, the onetime B Cal fleet at Gatwick and Birmingham.
Did we mention another Cymru One-Eleven, G-AXMU, which they leased through 1984 from British Island while waiting for G-WLAD to come over from Quebecair ? Here it is, BIA fuselage colours, Cymru tail.
G-AXMU Airways International Cymru BAC 1-11-432FD One-Eleven Photo by PEDRO ARAGÃO | ID 958094 | Planespotters.net