What a lovely job. While I have no direct connection with the aviation industry both my father and brother were LAMEs and as a mechanical engineer I can appreciate the work the that has gone into the repair. Was it originally a sea plane?
It was delivered to us quite a few years ago on wheels, which we then converted into a sea plane upon delivery. It operated out of Cairns for a number of years doing scenic flight on & around the reefs & islands. In October 2010 they aborted a takeoff and bent it quite badly, and it overturned & sunk later on that night. We did the recovery, and repair quotes but the owners decided they didn't want it so we purchased it as a long term project.
It has been stripped to a bare frame, and every component has been removed, cleaned, repaired/replaced. New paint, interior, every wire replaced, all instruments & radios replaced, overhauled the brakes & hydraulics, overhauled engine purchased & installed, and god knows what else.. The paperwork package is now over a few hundred pages!
It has been a great achievement for the shop not only to finish the machine & have it flying again, but also be one of the best beavers around, possibly one of the best in australia we have been told.
As for a lot of money... We stopped counting around the $300,000 mark...
As for bringing it down to the Gloucester RTE.. Sure, you paying costs? The damm thing drinks $250/Hour in Avgas alone....
