Not sure if it’s been seen on here before but I thought some of you might be interested to see this BCal 320 which went on to be part of the BA fleet.
Apparently the photo is from a 1988 magazine, but I found it on a thread on the Airliners.net forum which I browse about once a year.
http://www.airliners.net/uf/view.file?id=536939754&filename=1190278532leKdSF.jpg
1L.
By: OneLeft - 28th September 2007 at 09:11
I believe at least one of the BA early BCAL order -100 series airplanes is already in such a state at Lasham
Two now, G-BUSD and G-BUSF have both gone to the great sardine tin factory in the sky.
Only 3 -100’s left with BA now.
1L.
By: steve rowell - 28th September 2007 at 07:24
When you come to think of it the early models are pushing twenty years old now and God knows how many cycles they’ve amassed..so the next time you open a can of John West Scottish sardines it may well be an A320
By: Thunderbird167 - 26th September 2007 at 09:49
The registration is in the series used when the aircraft fly on test with Airbus at Toulouse.
MSN002 was a test aircraft that was subsequently refurbished by BAe at Filton to bring it up to standard for Air France. Hence the four year gap before delivery.
IIRC B Cal originally ordered ten aircraft which were taken over by BA when they bought B Cal. The last aircraft to be delivered was MSN120 which was also the first aircraft that I looked after in Toulouse when I ran the working party for BAe.
The first of the ex-BCal aircraft has been parted out by Air Salvage International at Lasham. Details are here http://www.airsalvage.co.uk/portfolioview.asp?id=127
By: Agent K - 26th September 2007 at 09:06
They’re starting to get on in years..i don’t think it’ll be too long before we start seeing quite a few of these early models scrapped or parted out
I believe at least one of the BA early BCAL order -100 series airplanes is already in such a state at Lasham, if I remember a picture appeared in a previous thread.
Also, of interest I recall seeing this prototype in BCAL colours visit LGW in 1988 with a flypast and landing and all the pomp and ceremony of the BCAL pipe band.
By: steve rowell - 26th September 2007 at 08:24
They’re starting to get on in years..i don’t think it’ll be too long before we start seeing quite a few of these early models scrapped or parted out
By: OneLeft - 23rd September 2007 at 17:54
Despite the gap between the delivery of this aircraft and the take-over of BCAL by BA, I don’t think that it ever flew in BCAL colours.
Spot on.
1L.
By: Fatcivvy - 22nd September 2007 at 22:54
That particular aircraft F-WWDA was the second prototype. If I remember rightly, it had the BCAL colour scheme on one side and Air France on the other.
That particular aircraft was eventually delivered to Air France as F-GFKQ in February 1991 which was almost 4 years after it first flew.
The aircraft that was meant to be BCAL’s first aircraft was delivered on 31 March 1988 but BA didn’t merge with BCAL until 14 April 1988. The registration G-BRSA was allocated for it but wasn’t taken up. It was registered G-BUSB instead. Despite the gap between the delivery of this aircraft and the take-over of BCAL by BA, I don’t think that it ever flew in BCAL colours.
I hope this helps.
FC
By: Ren Frew - 22nd September 2007 at 21:28
B-Cal ordered them, BA acquired them (and B-Cal)…;)
By: by738 - 22nd September 2007 at 21:23
None flew revenue earning flights with Bcal. I think one was even a hybrid with BCal on one side and another scheme on the other…?Airbus.
By: Mark L - 22nd September 2007 at 20:54
Did these ever actualy fly for BCAL? If so how long for, it can’t have been long at all?
By: Rlangham - 22nd September 2007 at 20:51
Wow, that livery makes it look ancient. Got to love the A320 though, beautiful looking aircraft
By: ianatkin - 22nd September 2007 at 20:39
I’m a bit confused that it appears to have a French registration, could this be from a delivery flight?
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September 22, 2007 at 4:00 pm