The previous day, 1st April 1982, this aircraft was parked at Manchester (MAN) in full Laker Airways c/scheme, Laker having ceased trading in February, 1982.  During the day on the 1st, intense negotiations had been going on in London between the Laker liquidators and B.Cal for the purchase of Laker's four One-Elevens.  Having worked a full day already (I was B.Cal's Station Manager at Manchester), I had to sit in the office until the sale was confirmed.  Just before midnight it was all confirmed and the liquidator's Solicitor was on his way to the airport with the aircraft log book (Yes, aircraft have log books very similar to the ones for a car in the UK, and no, I didn't know that either!).  He arrived at the airport just after 1:00am and, having signed all the paperwork, I became the proud owner of a BAC One-Eleven (well, for a few hours at least!). Before I went home I called Dan Air Engineering (who looked after our engineering at Manchester) and asked them to paint out the Laker name and put the new registration, G-BKAU, on the aircraft.  When I came back next morning they had done the painting but were having problems with the lettering transfers. You'd think that an engineer could have at least put the new registration on straight!
Ken Fielding
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