(Rhetorical question
)
Were the defects that involved unsatisfactory repairs not discovered on Major inspections (by the same contractor who might have carried them out)?
Regarding the nostalgic wishes to return to some mythical golden age, it clearly could never happen. There were wrecks, write offs and the occasional serious injury in the past, though few considering the amount of activity. We live in different, risk-averse, litigious times.
Commissioning a new fleet? However it was done the cost would make the present recovery program look like a tiny footnote in the accounts. The VGS will end up with 60 Vikings in ex-factory condition (maybe better, being GROB gliders), and having very red faces the MOD will make very sure it doesn't happen again, although the gold-plated paperwork system will not reduce the budget overhead.