questionable that Ruth was even qualified to fly the T-45C or teach the low-level maneuvers
That bolded part I addressed, and is possibly what the journo was talking about. I do not find it credible that this person walked into the hangar in Mississippi, and was given a T-45 for an instructional hop without having ever gone through the ITU.
Not credible; that looks to me like a reporter putting the words into an Admiral's mouth ... or an Admiral speaking without precision. (It Happens! How many admirals and generals have you worked for? I've worked for a few ...)
So here are the question that is germane to the points I have addressed:
Was the IP's NATOPS qual out of date? If out of date, then technically the IP is no longer NATOPS qualified until the annual NATOPS check is flown and passed.
Was the IP's Instrument qual out of date? If out of date, then technically the IP would be no longer NATOPS qualified until instrument check is flown and passed.
If scheduled for a hop, and either of the above is true, then the skipper ought to resign. That stuff is boiler plate.
Was the IP assigned a hop when he wasn't current in that stage/phase of instruction? This is where the Standards Officer and the Ops Officer, and the Scheduling Officer, earn there pay. This question also gets into 30, 60, 90 day quals on various stages of instruction. If this IP was qualified in, for example, the Carrier Landing and Instrument stages, but was not current in the TacForm stage (not enough flights in last X days/months) then technically "not qualled" for a TacForm hop. (see also low level nav, weapons, ACM, etc. Each differing training stages for the students. )
An example from my dim and distant past, when I was an IP.
When I was teaching formation flights, I got sick and was grounded for six weeks. When I came back up, I was not allowed to be assigned instructional flights before 1) a warmup was flown and 2) a formation warm up was flown (me in the back for a form flight, usually as a sand bag for a IUT flight) before I could fly a student flight for formation .. staying sharp, etc.
Lots of questions that are germane to qualifications not being up to date; If this IP wasn't current (foul! OpsO).
If this IP was doing stuff not current in, or a stage not yet checked out to teach in by the Standardication department, Foul! (on the IP)
Nothing to do with "not qualified to fly the T-45C on instructional hops."
The other question in the back of my mind is this; did the IP go out on an instrument or ONAV hop and start doing maneuvers for a different stage of training? (Foul! Four Minute Major!) I know a guy who lost his IP qual for doing exactly that, some years ago. Got into a real crap storm, and got to go and see the Wing Commander (Commodore) for "tea and biscuits with no tea and no biscuits" ...
That kind of thing by the IP might also lead to a "not-authorized" or "not-qualified" comment, since that aint' how it's supposed to be done and every IP and CO knows that.
You buying the journo's BS?
Go ahead. Ignorance is bliss.
I don't buy it, because I know the details of how CNATRA and its subordinate units work.
A few of the posters here, and for sure the Journo in question, do not seem to understand that.
(I am pretty sure that Airbubba knows how CNATRA works well enough, some things haven't changed ... ).