Engines, may I just point out that the majority of the second half of your post is simply in violent agreement with David Hill's book, Red 5, which may be found cruising down a river a mere link away :-
May I also point out that the MAA Technical Director was present at the approval of the improper RTI that condemned Sean Cunningham to his fate? As to the Regs, yes of course they should be followed! It was not following them that cost 29 lives in the OP tragedy and over 70 others in other airworthiness related fatal accidents. So my message to the MAA/MOD is rather than invent new regs simply follow the old ones. It wasn't the regs that were the problem, it was not following them, particularly when so ordered by certain RAF VSOs! The rot had already set in in the years before Mull. You know, in Haddon-Cave's "Golden Period" of Airworthiness?
We have in our midst our very own whistle blower who has been persecuted and derided by the MOD despite, or perhaps because of, his authoritative campaign to reform UK Military Airworthiness. Unless the RAF, MOD, and MAA accept that UK Military Airworthiness was subverted by RAF VSOs to the extent that it is yet to recover, then that reform is stillborn. Unless there be a truly independent MAA and MilAAIB (or whatever the sign writer has been contracted to daub this week!) in existance, both of the MOD and of each other, no amount of good people will change that.
