Air Cadets grounded?

[Chugalug2]

Squawking, I can only state the blindingly obvious. The RAF is riddled with unairworthiness. An unairworthy air force isn't a national asset but a national liability. Of the many airworthiness related fatal accident threads in this forum, only one can be ascribed to enemy action (the Iraq Hercules) but all can be ascribed to the dysfunctional state of UK Air Safety resulting from RAF VSO incompetence, malevolence, hubris, and ignorance. It is thus a vital national security issue and has to be put right. Who pays for it? Why, the PBTP! Who else? This is going to be a very demanding challenge and requires leadership of the highest calibre to regain the professionalism and dedication that my generation were the beneficiaries of, though blissfully unaware of at the time.

To be honest, money will be the least of the challenges. Government will have to re-arrange the goal posts and no doubt find new money as well. If the new MAA and MAAIB are to be truly independent then I cannot see them being funded out of the Defence Budget for therein lies dependence. I've always preferred a sistering with the CAA and AAIB respectively, in order to cross fertilise the professional experience therein. In that scenario they would be part of the DoT, with an Aviation Authority being split into Civil and Military Depts, likewise with Air Accident Investigation, all with civilian DGs. From the very start both will have to assert themselves over a truculent operator, ie the MOD. Sean Cunningham died because his seat was unairworthy, a direct reflection of the UK Military Air Regulator, aka the MAA, aka the MOD. In future such maladministration must have legal consequences. We need a Regulator and Investigator with teeth, instead of the present toothless dependents.

You are right to remind us that those institutions that would be normally expected to deal with such illegality have reneged on their responsibilities and duty, with the honourable exception of the 700 year old HM Coroners Service. The implications are indeed worrying, but if something along the lines of what I propose above is instituted then they will be dealing with official legal bodies rather than concerned citizens as now. That will hopefully encourage them to do their job rather than deciding not to.