RP-C8020 (XR365, G-HLFT, 9L-LDQ) 1964 Short SC5 Belfast C1 Heavylift Cairns 10.05.15
Built in 1964, XR365 was one of just ten airframes built by Short Brothers in Belfast. Most served with 53 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton. Service life was cut short after UK Government defence spending cuts were announced and the fleet was retired prematurely in 1976.
XR365/G-HLFT was acquired by Heavylift based at London Stansted and was part of their fleet flying commercially for many years carrying outsize cargoes around the globe. They survived into the nineties but with the end of the Cold War and fierce competition, contracts became harder to acquire and competition was fierce thus Heavylift opted to wind up their operations in the UK on 13 September 2002 and G-HLFT was placed in storage at Southend in October 2002.
She moved to Australia in January 2003 registered now as 9L-LDQ flying for HeavyLift Cargo Airlines Pty. and then latterly as RP-C8020 before being grounded in January 2009. Offered for sale in 2011 there were no offers and I am led to believe the airframe remains at Cairns.
RP-C8020 (XR365, G-HLFT, 9L-LDQ) 1964 Short SC5 Belfast C1 Heavylift Cairns 10.05.15
Built in 1964, XR365 was one of just ten airframes built by Short Brothers in Belfast. Most served with 53 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton. Service life was cut short after UK Government defence spending cuts were announced and the fleet was retired prematurely in 1976.
XR365/G-HLFT was acquired by Heavylift based at London Stansted and was part of their fleet flying commercially for many years carrying outsize cargoes around the globe. They survived into the nineties but with the end of the Cold War and fierce competition, contracts became harder to acquire and competition was fierce thus Heavylift opted to wind up their operations in the UK on 13 September 2002 and G-HLFT was placed in storage at Southend in October 2002.
She moved to Australia in January 2003 registered now as 9L-LDQ flying for HeavyLift Cargo Airlines Pty. and then latterly as RP-C8020 before being grounded in January 2009. Offered for sale in 2011 there were no offers and I am led to believe the airframe remains at Cairns.