from active flying in January 1971. Doug Atkins then assumed the role of chief test pilot. At about the same time, at the height of the Vietnam War, the US Navy expressed interest in the concept. Atkins was dispatched on a cross-country tour that took a CL-84-1 to Washington DC where he landed on the White House lawn, Norfolk, Virginia, Edwards Air Force Base and eventually full trials on . The CL-84-1 performed flawlessly, demonstrating versatility in a wide range of onboard roles, including troop deployment, radar surveillance and anti-submarine warfare. It could perform wing transition from zero airspeed and accelerate to in 8 seconds. The potency of the CL-84-1 as a gun platform was dramatically illustrated in a Canadair promotional film. Fitted with a General Electric SUU 11A/A pod with a 7.62 mm minigun, Adkins maintained a rock-steady position as he sprayed a ground target. The rotating six-barrel "Gatling" gun delivered 3,000 rounds per minute. Continuing Tripartite trials by Canadian, US (Navy/Marine) and RAF evaluation pilots at the US Navy's Patuxent River Experimental Test Center showed that the CL-84-1 was a suitable multi-mission aircraft. RAF Flight Lieutenant Ron Ledwidge became the first to make a descending transition from hovering to conventional flight and back to hovering while on instruments. On 8 August 1973, the first CL-84-1 was lost when a catastrophic failure occurred in the left propeller gearbox in a maximum power climb. The US Navy and US Marine pilots aboard ejected safely. Canadair representatives investigated and recorded that the entire propeller and supporting structure of the gearbox had broken away during the climb. The second CL-84-1 (CX8402) was rushed stateside to complete the Phase 2 trials on board . In the face of gale storm conditions, the "84" performed tasks such as ferrying troops and "blind-flight." Phase 3 and 4 trials proceeded immediately after, but, despite positive reviews from over 40 pilots, the CL-84-1 did not win any production contracts. Cancellation The end of the Vietnam War meant a scaling back on military requirements, but Canadair designer Fred Phillips had been cognizant of other factors gravitating against the "84." The first and most crucial was the "NBH" (not built here) factor; Canada had overcome it with other sales to the US military but the de Havilland Canada Beaver, Otter and Caribou loomed as exceptions to the rule. Canadair had tried unsuccessfully to sell the aircraft to other countries