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Old 22nd Sep 2008, 11:24
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Dog One
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Australia
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CLX is currently on display at Moorabbin Aircraft Museum. CLX was the lowest time of the Heron's operated by AOT. The reason being that it got very badly bent by a Departmental Test Pilot doing certification flying for Coonnair at Alice Springs. The fuselage was bent and I understand that external straps were fitted to the fuselage so that it could be ferried to Adelaide for repairs. When AOT got it, it had just 15000 hrs on it and needed a spar change, AOT eventually used the wings off CLY (which crashed at Launceston airport) to get CLX airworthy. From all accounts it was a dog to fly compared to the others. The life of 30,000 hrs was for the centre section carry through spar to be replaced and I understand British Aerospace quoted something like 750,000 UK pounds per aircraft. My engineering colleague said that the Manager of AOT needed oxygen when he read the quote!!! as the whole box and dice of AOT wasn't worth the cost of doing one aircraft.
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