BAC One-Eleven 500
British Aircraft Corporation · United Kingdom · first flew 1967 · airliner
The BAC One-Eleven Series 500 is the definitive stretched variant of the rear-engined twin-jet, seating up to 119 passengers versus the baseline 79 of the Series 200, achieved by plugging 4.1 m into the fuselage fore and aft of the wing.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × turbofan, tail-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Longest One-Eleven variant — fuselage stretched 4.1 m ahead of the wing compared with Series 200 |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Longest One-Eleven variant — fuselage stretched 4.1 m ahead of the wing compared with Series 200
- Twin Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans in rear-fuselage nacelles beneath a T-tail
- Low swept wing with leading-edge extensions added to maintain handling on the stretched airframe
Longer than the stumpy Series 200/400 — the stretched fuselage gives it a noticeably more proportionate look. The leading-edge root extensions are a subtler tell; at a glance, count fuselage window bays to judge length against any parked 737.
Specifications
- The BAC One-Eleven 500 has a length of 32.6 m (107 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 28.5 m (94 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 871 km/h (541 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
British Caledonian and British European Airways demanded greater capacity, prompting BAC to stretch the fuselage and add leading-edge camber to the wing to compensate for the heavier aircraft. The Series 500 first flew in June 1967 and entered service in 1968. Romania also produced the type under licence as the ROMBAC 1-11.
Variants
The stretched 500 superseded the intermediate 400 and 475 in production; the 475 was a hybrid with the 200-series short fuselage but the 500-series wing and engines for hot-and-high operations.
Where you'll see it
British Caledonian flew the Series 500 extensively, as did British Airways after the 1972 merger. UK independent carriers including Dan-Air, Court Line and later British Midland kept the type in service through the 1980s; Loganair operated examples into the 1990s.
Related aircraft
- BAC Strikemaster
- English Electric / BAC Lightning F.6
- BAC One-Eleven 475
- BAC TSR-2
- Boeing 727-200
- Boeing 737-100
- Boeing 737-200
- Douglas DC-8 Super 63
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