Originally Posted by
Dominator2
MFTS has put the RAF Flying Training system into total disarray. The reason is the Senior Officers responsible for signing off on Contracts that are worthless. The only interest that Ascent has is to make a fast buck. Right from the outset the company never resourced enough assets to fulfil the REAL requirement. Not enough QFIs, not enough aircraft, not enough engineers, not enough Ops staff, not enough hours in the day!! How would they even expect 95% serviceability from their aircraft? How could they expect to run a Training Programme on flying for 16 hours a day with no factoring for weather.
You forgot 'the wrong aircraft'. Is any of the Ascent platforms actually able to deliver the same quality of training as its predecessor? I don't know much about the Avenger, but both rotary types have major problems for their intended usage, the Prefect appears to be beset by limitations and is an absurd elementary trainer for helicopter pilots, the Phenom seems to have engines in the wrong place for proper asymmetric work, leaving only the Hawk - which owes any success to being a sexed up version of the original!