Hoodie To be honest i do not think there was a real attempt from the RAF/MOD to see these machine go on to another lease of life in their current form.
Despite any cogent tech reason for this and the genuine LAA support (the Tech masters in this field) a very expensive option of re-engine and certification for future use.was considered to be the ONLY option to release then out of service use. Had the LAA themselves offered to take the fleet and operate them 'in house' for very economical youngster flight experience then it would have been very hard to find fault with that option, but this was not on the table at the time.
The actual machines have many years of life left and the engines can easily be overhauled, as high spec replacement parts are readily available.
Considering the original machines were used for Cadet training (including solo flight) then it must be seen that they performed well despite not being designed for the job. Anyone who went through a 'Vigilant' Cadet training course would have had a very good introduction of light aircraft handling plus the added 'delight' of mastering a tail wheel machine. None of this would have been wasted when progressing on to other types so it has to be said that the decision to introduce the Vigilant was sound. Another factor for their use was the ongoing difficulty in finding suitable sites for the conventional winch launch gliding which was proving difficult to co habit with regular RAF airfields or Civ GA locations.
Last edited by POBJOY; 2nd Dec 2019 at 16:50.