Originally Posted by
MostlyHarmless
Heard a number of tales about this - lining up all the spinners on the line for a VIP visit and the tails were all over the shop.
Personal favorite is the one that they couldn't get to fly straight so sent to Boscombe to play with. Apparently it had an extra rib in one wing.
Sounds a bit far fetched to me, but don't let that get in the way of a good story
My father in law was working on one that just would not fly right - despite numerous re-rigging sessions on the flight control surfaces.
A quick check with the tape measure revealed one wing about 1" longer than the other. I have no reason to doubt him as this was first hand experience.
No two airframes are the same - as said above, access panels from one won't fit another and repair parts made in accordance with the tech drawings NEVER fitted without major modification.