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.

I have a feeling that VH-CLV still has some hours remaining...???:ok:

My notes show the only high time Heron was KAM, which retired at 29,999 hrs 42 mins. I think Nigel Peart was the Captain on that last flight.The others except CLX were between 25 and 27,000 hrs.

As someone has already subtly tried to cover, is is actually KENDELL with an E.

I remember standing on the tarmac with Dad waving goodbye to CLW on the way to Tarawa after some late night painting of the bird on the tail and dramas with some fuel leaks on the (from memory, lamax help me out here) rarely used outboard wing tanks that were on CLW not KAM.

As DK and JM departed overhead we discovered the antenna for the newly acquired emergency beacon still sitting on the desk in the office!

KAM and "Whiskey" were fantastic aircraft but sufferd the fate of the late 70's fuel price hikes and had to make way for the Metros. Heard some gresat stories of the landing ability (especially on grass at WG).

Many fond memories of both aircraft in Kendell colours.

And for the previous poster who asked about other aircraft, yes they had two Navajos, DAP and CLU, and a Shrike KAC (from memory). Sadly DAP crashed in the Tasman Sea off Nowra during a target towing incident. Believe it was an airspeed / engine failure / releasing the target issue that cuased the crash, not 100% sure. Thought CLU crashed near CNS, but from reading the post above maybe I confused that with the Connair Heron......:confused:

CLX was retired from AoT service first,followed by KAM. Pretty sure Capt Kevin Swiggs was in command for KAM's last trip.

My notes are a bit vague around the retirement time, but indicate CASA were worried about the airframes due to operating in coastal climates and the problem of sourcing spares, and AOT being very short of cash, entered a financial arrangement with Tamair to operate a Metro. Some where about this time (late 1995?) they must have ceased operations as my notes show them operating only the Metro and a E110, plus some Navajo's. Where you there then, BisBus330? If so, could you refresh my memory so I can update my notes. I was o/seas during that period of change and really only caught up when I came back, and by that time AOT had been wound up.

Bigbus330

QAM's history of KAM shows that the pilot on her last flight was indeed as you have suggested.

Dog One

You quote KAM's total time as 29,999 hr 42 min. She might have been worth restoring to airworthy for 53 mins flying but 18 mins is out of the question :)

Who would have expected a four page thread about the lovely Heron in 2008? With so many of her pilots on the thread, QAM would be pleased to hear any anecdotes about KAM. PM me if you prefer.

Rgds

Agony ,

CLW almost always leaked fuel when filled to capacity - the outboard tanks were selected for take off and landing.

J McK. who is presently in the USA , is an authority on that last KD flight under the command of Capt. DMK.

Didn't Don Kendell get a job flying Herons in the Scotland.

JMck, is he the former airline owner turned cotton farmer?

lamax thanks for the detail on the Heron timetable, some long days their and plenty of sectors.

I suppose most of AOT's Heron captains like Peart, Swiggs, Duff, Batchelor and Dawbin to mention a few would be retired by now, like their aircraft. Does any one know who the captain was that they called "pumpkin head"?

Gunna have to send back to Oz for my old log book to answer that.
Recall Harris, Loffel, Shoebridge and of course Dallas fom AOT.

Spent '91 to '95 flying DQ FED and DQ FDY in the Islands. Many happy memories of the Heron. If you could sync all those props up nicely, the pax would be all asleep by Top of Climb !

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...untitled-2.jpg

The original Heron designation was DH-114, did the Riley Heron carry the same designation?

Just checked the licence, the endorsement is just DH-114...

Ex Connellan Heron VH-CLW
 

Ex Connellan Heron CLW was purchased by Central Australian Aviation Museum inc. in June 2012 from Paul & Christene Ewold. It was trucked on a low loader from Bankstown (Via Hume Hwy to avoid the Blue Mtns). A new hangar is under construction where it will be put on public display. It is missing most of the panel instruments/radios, but has props & "dummy" engines made up of mounting brackets and the two front Lycoming cylinders. It still has the Sunflower livery, but will be re-painted in it's original Connellan colours. The cabin still has the original seats & interior lining etc. The original plush seat that was used by Konrad Adenaur is still stored at the Museum, and will be part of the display. President Cent Aust Aviation Museum 2014.

Good to see it will be saved.

As the person who brought it back to Australia as DQ FDY we were going to put it on the Australian register until we found out the spar was cracked.

It had had an engine fire in Fiji, and the spar had never been looked at. Hence why it languish at Bankstown for so long as being uneconomical.

With regard the comment about original interior, I sorry but the seats are AOT designed ones. And the "Plush seat" you are talking about comes from VH NJP and was a standard original DH commuter seat refurbished by the Royal Navy.

The executive seats when it was with the Luffwaffe are totally different.

It has just gone twenty years since DH 114 VH-KAM operated the last RPT flight, for Airlines of Tasmania.

Flew the DH104 Dove for some years, very near to where the Heron used to roost.
If I remember it used to go somewhat like this

"CLP-Roper bar-cancel SAR-tah-cha,cha,cha"

Memories of F/o Howard R
Cheers Donderwolkje

Wanna see my painting? Too bad, you're going to anyway......

[IMG]http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/...nnairHeron.jpg[/IMG]

These were the days when the Ayres Rock airstrip was right next to the monolith.

According to a long story told by then FSO Les Church who was at KN FSU at the time.... It went something like ...


"Charlie Lima Papa at the bar cancel SAR ta...

PS I always thought CLP was a Twin Bonanza????