The L-1011 TriStar had been a part of the Air Canada fleet since 1973, but the addition of the – 500 series in 1981 marked a turning point. The new planes, fins 551 through 556, had much greater range than the TriStar, allowing for the introduction of non-stop transcontinental service between western Canada and Europe. One notable flight was the YVR – LHR route. In Toronto while one of the L–1011–500 aircraft was modified for the return of Pope John Paul II to the Vatican after his tour of Canada in September 1984. The era of service for this fleet was relatively short, spanning from 1981 to early 1992, when they were sold to Delta Airlines. I found out that fins 551, 553, & 556 remained in service with Delta until 2000 and are now stored at Victorville, California. Fin 552 was acquired by YES Air Charter of Portugal and continued service until 2006 when it was stored and later scrapped in Lisbon. Fin 554 was acquired by Hewa Bora Airways of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has been stored at Kinshasa since 2007. Fin 555 was bought by Wells Fargo Bank in 2004 but its current status is unknown.
