Ozleckie,
Regarding WL790, flying Shackletons and the CAA...
In CAA literature there's a reference regarding military aircraft and how they won't extend the life beyond that originally specified by the manufacturer. I can't remember offhand which CAP it is in.
All the 8 sqn AEWS had around 14,000 hours on them which put them more or less at that limit. WL790 and WR963 were both around the 15,000 mark.
The obvious way to overcome this was to get it on the US register under the experimental category, and fly her out there while the paperwork over here was sorted. She was registered as N790WL and it was hoped to bring her back; but it wasn't to be.
Interestingly, the CAA never actually said "you can't fly it!" of the Shackleton, just that if it was to go on a permit to fly, a lot of lifed components had to be replaced. Spar booms, webs, all the attachment hardware, undercarraige bearers...
It's the same reason why we can't fly WR963 either.
Regards,
Rich