VH-IMI. Hawker Siddeley 748-2A-287. c/n 1736-210.

 

This aircraft was ordered new by British Airways - 1974

It was built by Hawker Siddeley Aviation at the Woodford, Manchester plant

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-BCOE (CoR R.14567/R1) - September 23, 1974

Registered to Hawker Siddeley Aviation Limited, Manchester

First flown as 'G-BCOE' - June 17, 1975

Powered by Roll-Royce Dart 536-2 engines

Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA) issued - July 04, 1975

Accepted by British Airways Ltd at Woodford - July 10, 1975

Sold to British Airways Ltd - July 16, 1975

Registered to British Airways Plc, London (CofR G-BCOE/R2) - July 17, 1975

Entered service with British Airways - August 04, 1975

The rear passenger door was ejected from the aircraft during take-off at Sumburgh - July 16, 1977

Repaired and returned to service - ?

The aircraft was named 'Glen Livet' on the starboard side and 'Gleann Liomhaid' on the port side - March 1983

Operated final passenger service as an HS-748-2A aircraft - April 02, 1985

The conversion to a Series 2B aircraft was completed at Glasgow - June 03, 1985

Returned to service in the revised livery - June 07, 1985

The nose undercarriage leg was ripped off by a tug at Manchester Airport - August 08, 1988

Repaired and ferried Manchester - Glasgow as BA9844E - September 09, 1988

Returned to service Glasgow - ? - September 09, 1988

Operated last revenue service - Aberdeen - Glasgow as BA5709 - April 01, 1992

Returned to British Aerospace - April 01 1992

Registered to British Aerospace Regional Aircraft (CofR G-BCOE/R3) - June 04, 1992

Ferried Glasgow - Hatfield for storage - August 26, 1992

Ferried Hatfield - East Midlands for storage - January 29, 1993

Cancelled from the British Aircraft Register - March 08, 1993

Leased to Royal Nepal Airlines - March 08, 1993

Entered onto the Nepalese Aircraft Register as 9N-ACN - March 08, 1993

Registered to Nepal Airways Pty Limited

Returned to British Aerospace at Exeter on termination of the lease - April 26, 1994

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-BCOE (CofR G-BCOE/R4) - April 26, 1994

Registered to Jetstream Aircraft Ltd, Prestwick, Scotland

The aircraft was prepared for leased to Impulse Airlines - 1994

Arrived Sydney (Bankstown) on completion of the ferry flight from the United Kingdom - October 08, 1994

Cancelled from the British Aircraft Register - October 10, 1994

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-IMI - October 12, 1994

Registered to Impulse Airlines Pty Ltd as the registered operator

The aircraft was converted to a cargo configuration

Entered service with Impulse Airlines - March 1995

Withdrawn from service by Impulse Airlines at Sydney (Bankstown) - June 23, 1995

Returned to Jetstream Aircraft Ltd - July 14, 1995

Ferried Sydney (Basnkstown) - Adelaide (West Beach) for storage - July 13, 1995

Returned to JSX Capital Corporation - July 13, 1995

Registered to Jetstream Aircraft (Sydney) Ltd - August 08, 1995

Ferried Adelaide (West Beach) - Sydney (Bankstown) for storage - August 13, 1996

Sold to International Air Parts Pty Ltd - August 23, 1996

Registered to International Air Parts Pty Ltd, Sydney - August 23, 1996

The Swedish registration 'SE-LIA' was reserved but not taken-up - January 10, 1997

Registered to International Air Parts Pty Ltd, Sydney - July 23, 1998

The modification of this aircraft with the fitment of a large rear cargo door was completed - November 1998

The cargo door was sourced from the donor aircraft ex C6-BED cn 1763

The aircraft was now redesignated an 'HS-748-28-287LFD'

Internation Aviation Pty Ltd was renamed Horizon Airlines Pty Ltd - December 10, 1998

The aircraft was wet-leased to Australian air Express - March 29, 1999

It operated the frieghter services Adelaide (West Beach) - Melbourne (Tullamarine)

It was returned to Horizon Airlines on the termination of the lease - June 21, 1999

Wet-leased to Ansett Air Frieght Pty Ltd, Melbourne - June 22, 1999

The aircraft was utilised on the Brisbane - Sydney (Kingsford Smith) freight services four times a week

The aircraft was named 'The Beast Too'

Ferried Adelaide (West Beach) - Perth - September 29, 2002

Commenced freight services Port Headland - Karratha with Air Cargo Express - September 30, 2002

This lease was terminated and the aircraft ferried Perth - Sydney (Bankstown) - April 08, 2003

Horizon Airlines was placed under Administration due to financial difficulties - October 14, 2003

The aircraft was withdrawn from service and stored at Sydney (Bankstown) - October 20, 2003

Test flown Sydney (Bankstown) - Coffs Harbour - Sydney (Bankstown) - March 06, 2005

Sold to Cape Aero Services (Pty) Ltd, South Africa - March 2005

Departed Sydney (Bankstown) on the ferry flight to South Africa - March 12, 2005

Arrived Nelspruit (South Africa) ob completion of the ferry flight - March 22, 2005

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - March 29, 2005

Entered onto the South African Aircraft Register as ZS-DBM - April 01, 2005

Registered to Sonetrad (Pty) Ltd, South Africa

The aircraft was observed carrying 'Stars Away Aviation' titles and logo

Registered to Fulloutpt 191 (Pty) Ltd, Capetown, South Africa - Ocober 05, 2005

The aircraft was ferried to Cape Town for maintenance and repainting - July 15, 2006

Leased to MK Airlines Ltd - April 01, 2009

Cancelled from the South African Aircraft Register - May 05, 2009

Entered onto the Ghana Aircraft Register as 9G-MKV - May 05, 2009

Leased to MK Airlines Ltd as the registered operator

Returned to Fulloutput on termination of the MK Airlines lease - August 2009

The aircraft was observed at Cape Town - September 2009

Cancelled from the Ghana Aircraft Register - ?

Entered onto the Kenyan Aircraft Register as 5Y-HVS - October 02, 2009

Registered to Fulloutput 191 (Pty) Ltd

Leased to Airstream (K) ltd, Nairobi, Kenya as the registered operator

The aircraft remained 'stored' at Cape Town, South Africa

It was observed at Cape Town as '5Y-HSV' in the British Airways 'Landor' livery - March 15, 2012

Cancelled from the Kenyan Aircraft Register - April 25, 2012

Entered onto the South African Aircraft Register as ZS-DBM - April 25, 2012

Registered to Fulloutput 191 (Pty) Ltd, South Africa

Leased to Tropicana Airlines Ltd - May 2012

Ferried Cape Town - Ondangwa - Libreville - Accra (Ghana) - May 23 - 28, 2012

The lease to Tropicana Airlines was terminated and the aircraft was abandoned at Accra - September 2012

Stars Away Aviation was liquidated - November 2012

Cancelled from the South African Aircraft Register - June 04, 2014

The aircraft was sold to Planes for Africa Ltd / Avro Express Ltd - ?

It was ferried to Nairobi (Wilson) - ?

Entered ontio the Kenyan Aircraft Register as 5Y-PFA - ?

The aircraft was noted flying on behalf of the United Nations by Planes for Africa Ltd - March 27, 2016

'World Food Programme' titles were observed on the aircraft

Current status - ?

 

G-BCOE. British Airways - in the standard livery at Glasgow Airport, April 1976.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-123.)

G-BCOE. British Airways - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, July 1980.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-092.)

9N-ACN. Royal Nepal Airways - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, January 1994.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-132.)

VH-IMI. Horizon - 'The Beast Too!' in the all-white livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, May 1999.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-012.)

VH-IMI. Horizon - 'The Beast Too!' in the all-white livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, May 1999.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-072.)

VH-IMI. Horizon - 'The Beast Too!' in the all-white livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, June 1999.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-073.)

VH-IMI. Horizon - 'The Beast Too!' in the all-white livery at an unknown airport, September 1999.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-093.)

VH-IMI. Horizon - in the final livery at Sydney Bankstown Airport, January 2004.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-071.)

ZS-DBM. Stars Away Aviation - in the basic Horizon livery at an unknown airport, October 2005.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-074.)

ZS-DBM. Stars Away Aviation - in the revised livery at an unknown airport, November 2006.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 0748-075.)