I was a visiting avionics engineer working in Bucharest with TAROM in November 1969. I have a vivid recollection of being asked to assist in the airworthiness certification of their first assembled Islander for it's flight to Bembridge. Being fully ARB licenced a task I could have undertaken. The request taking place at a British Embassy social evening.
On further enquiries, I was told that it had been part of some deal whereby TAROM were to acquire BAC 111's. Apparently they didn't have any money to pay for the one elevens, so they had agreed to build x number of Islanders and make up the rest of the costs with shipments of walnuts !!
I was there to assist TAROM in the installation of AVQ 20's in their Ilyushins 14's and 18's. But by time I arrived all of the test equipment had been shipped off to Russia for cloning, so I spent three weeks swanning around Bucharest and drinking copious quantities of Mastica - plum brandy and playing the tourist.
After the initial enquiry, never heard anything more about the Islander airworthiness certification. Which was okay by me as it wasn't somewhere that I really wanted to go. Certifying aircraft with no prior knowledge I felt wasn't in my best interests.
The funny bit is that less than twelve months later I was with Malarial Tours in PNG, whose main aircraft was the Islander. So got to learn a great deal about them.