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Get Yourself a Dictator’s Plane on the Cheap: Ceausescu’s ROMBAC 1-11 for Sale

If you’re in the market for a more special buy, this is as special as it gets. As it so happens, it’s also on the affordable side: one of the aircraft from dictator Nicolae Ceausescu’s Presidential fleet is about to go under the hammer.
ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989 11 photos
Photo: Artmark
ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989ROMBAC 1-11 YR-BRE served as Presidential plane for Ceausescu between 1986 and 1989
The second and last communist leader of Romania, Ceausescu served as General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party between 1965 to 1989 and the country’s President between 1974 and 1989. Under his rule, Romania became the first communist country to produce a passenger jet after the USSR.

That jet was the ROMBAC 1-11, also known as Rombac One-Eleven or the Super One-Eleven. Built under license from the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and modeled on the BAC 1-11, it was delivered in 1982. Only nine such aircraft were built in Romania, and two remained unfinished; the fifth became a Presidential plane in 1986.

YR-BRE, the plane in question, would often fly Ceausescu and his wife across the country and the world, though not to socialist countries. For these trips, the dictator would always choose one of the two Boeing 707s he had in his fleet.

Now part of the national cultural patrimony, the same plane will be sold at auction on May 27, 2021. Artmark has it listed as part of the All-Star Game event, with a starting price of just €25,000 ($30,220 at the current exchange rate), which is surprisingly low for such a rare and storied aircraft.

With a maximum payload of 47.4 tons, this former Presidential plane is powered by twin Rolls-Royce Spey Mk 512-14DW engines. The listing doesn’t mention its current condition or offer interior shots, but in-person viewings can be arranged for interested parties.

Legend has it that Ceausescu, a man who was so fond of flying he’d even go hunting without landing his helicopter, would have each of his aircraft sanitized and perfumed before each flight. In addition to the two Boeings, he also had four helicopters, with four crews for the planes and six for the helicopters, so that he was ready to take off at a moment’s notice. When the December 1989 revolution started, both Boeings were ready to whisk him away to wherever he deemed safe, but he chose not to leave the country.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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