MANfan From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2010, 56 posts, RR: 0 Posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 17066 times:
BA unveiled it's special 'retro' liveried 757, G-CPET, "Stokesay Castle" in September 2010 to mark the retirement of its (mainline) 757 operations after 27 years, with the aircraft painted in the original Negus and Negus colour scheme that the first BA 757's entered service in, back in February 1983.
The final BA scheduled flight took place on Sat 30th Oct 2010, from EDI to LHR as BA1463.
The final BA passenger flight took place on Sat 6th Nov 2010, from and back to LHR as BA9216C (c/s Speedbird 757) as a charity charter flight for staff, family and friends.
G-CPET has been in storage at LHR, in full retro livery, since then, awaiting its turn for conversion to a freighter for FedEx and featured in the recent BA Open Days on 3rd and 4th Sept 2011.
The plan was to strip her livery, before ferrying to LGW, but now it appears she will conduct one last ferry flight in full retro livery, before being stripped of BA identity at LGW and sold.
The current plan is for G-CPET to depart LHR as the BAW9252P on Wednesday 28th Sept 2011 at 14:40z (15:40 loc), and arrive LGW at around, or just before 15:25z (16:25 loc). Bear in mind that engineering positioning flights are notorious for technical delays, and she hasn't flown for 10 months, but nevertheless the above timings are those being planned, and has a provisional LHR departure slot.
The weather is forecast fine, so this offers the potential for one last opportunity for anyone that missed her airborne last year to see her either depart LHR for the final time (as the very last BA mainline 757 departure) or arrive at LGW.
It's worth considering the runways swap at 15:00 loc, 40 mins or so before her planned departure, so it will probably be a 27R departure after 15:00 loc on Wednesday, if LHR are on westerlies.
Bye bye PET, we will miss you
G-CPET "Stokesay Castle" having pushed back from T5 and about to depart for Glasgow on her last day in commercial service (30th Oct 2010)
richierich From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 4022 posts, RR: 6 Reply 1, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 16763 times:
I'd like to see a B777 in Negus colors, I think that would look pretty outstanding!
I know it is far more geniune with the B757, because they were delivered to British Airways in those colors, but BA's past colors have been remarkable. It is hard for me to accept that Landor is almost 30 years old!
United_fan From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 7157 posts, RR: 8 Reply 2, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 16556 times:
Quoting MANfan (Thread starter): G-CPET has been in storage at LHR, in full retro livery, since then, awaiting its turn for conversion to a freighter for FedEx
Beats being sold for scrap.
'Empathy was yesterday...Today, you're wasting my Mother-F'ing time' - Heat.
ghifty From United States of America, joined Jul 2010, 753 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 14621 times:
We should all sign a petition adresses to FedEx.. "Keep -CPET in Negus colors!"
Saves them money.. they're not a commercial airline where livery matters.
DeltAirlines From United States of America, joined May 1999, 8770 posts, RR: 13 Reply 4, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 14237 times:
Quoting ghifty (Reply 3): they're not a commercial airline where livery matters.
Livery is just as important to them as it is a commercial airline. You've got customers seeing those planes at the airport all day; it's free advertising to them to remind customers that they are an option, just as much as UPS can handle parcels as well.
N62NA From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 3670 posts, RR: 4 Reply 5, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 22 hours ago) and read 14118 times:
Quoting ghifty (Reply 3): We should all sign a petition adresses to FedEx.. "Keep -CPET in Negus colors!"
While I didn't think petition, I did think that it would be nice if FedEx kept it in the current colors.
Geo772 From United Kingdom, joined Jul 2004, 497 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 11371 times:
Quoting col (Reply 6):
Did the 757 beat the viscount in terms of longest serving narrow body in BA fleet? I think Viscount was 26+ years also?
The 757 entered service with BA in 1983 powered by the RR RB211-535C these were all retired from the BA fleet (converted to freighters) around 2001-2004. The RR RB211-535E4 powered aircraft were delivered later with the last entering service in 1998 and then retired in 2010. Although if you count the wholly owned subsidiary Openskies some are still in service.
Flown on A300B4/600,A319/20/21,A332/3,A343,B727,B732/3/4/7/8,B741/2/4,B752,B762/3,B772/3,DC10,L1011-200,VC10,MD80,1-11
xdlx From United States of America, joined Aug 2008, 532 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 10333 times:
VV701 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 6618 posts, RR: 17 Reply 11, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 8306 times:
Quoting ghifty (Reply 3): We should all sign a petition adresses to FedEx.. "Keep -CPET in Negus colors!"
It would do no good. BA would never sell any aircraft still wearing its own colours. As an example the day after their first 741, G-AWNA was retired on 1 November 1998 it was rolled out with its left side only painted in an inaccurate representation of the BOAC livery in which it had been delivered in in 1970:
On 5 November it was ferried to CWL for decommissioning. Then on 9 November it was rolled out with all of its markings on both sides painted out. Yet it was to make only one more flight to Bruntingthorpe (a private airfield in Leicestershire) wher it was permanently withdrawn from use on 14 November and was subsequently broken up.
BoxBoy From United States of America, joined Sep 2009, 42 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 7462 times:
FedEx wouldn't keep the colors, but they do name all of their jets. Maybe they could be convinced to name her Stokesay Castle.
I've flown on Stokesay Castle a number of times and we are talking a long time ago. Does this now define the aircraft as 'vintage'?
The BA 757s belong to a time long long ago, when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. It is time to say goodbye and let them leave the fleet with dignity.
and with that..cabin crew, seats for landing please.
Oroka From Canada, joined Dec 2006, 787 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 4702 times:
Quoting N62NA (Reply 5): I did think that it would be nice if FedEx kept it in the current colors.
Never happen, and it would be BA stopping it. You dont want an airliner flying around with your name on it but not yours or under your control. In the event of a crash, or some other incident, it is not your jet, but your company's name is all over it.
MANfan From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2010, 56 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 3693 times:
Quoting aviatorcraig (Reply 15): So if she flew the last service for the airline 10 months ago, is BA going to have to hire in a crew who are current on the 757 for the ferry flight?
BA still operate the 767, and have two 757 and one 767 simulator, therefore all the 767 crew remain 757 rated and qualified if they have a practice in a 757 simulator.
I understand a couple of crews have remained "current" by ferrying various 757's to LGW from LHR over the last year.
G-CPET is the last to leave LHR.
In addition various handover flights to FedEx have been undertaken over the last 10 months.
Gunsontheroof From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 3460 posts, RR: 11 Reply 19, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 3 days 10 hours ago) and read 3252 times:
It's great that this airframe will find new life as a freighter, but it's too bad that she's no going to keep wearing these colors...the Negus livery looks really sharp on the 757.
JRowson From United Kingdom, joined May 2004, 345 posts, RR: 14 Reply 21, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 2953 times:
Quoting DunaA320 (Reply 20): Just went down to see it arrive into LGW. Looked great in the sunshine and such a shame we won't see these colours flying again
Were you the guy stood next to me by the gate?
I have to agree that it looked amazing in the early evening sunshine. So glad I got to see it on this occassion having missed out on the previous time.
James Rowson. Canonite and lover of all things L. JAR Photography.
lofty From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2008, 195 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (1 year 7 months 3 weeks 3 days 1 hour ago) and read 2608 times:
I had a runway side view as she left LHR, I was on the staff flight and I thought we hardly used the Runway but today she could have given a Harrier a run for its money.
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