That's the time the engineers say they need to turn an old jet like a VC10!
Sod simulators - for anything except emergency training and some basic operational mission training.
An airline runs its aircraft virtually 24/7 and does not need to hold anything in reserve for surge requirements. Whereas an air force has (or should have if it can afford it) a fleet strength geared to cope with defined operational task needs. Which means that it will often have a/c sitting on the ground seemingly doing nothing when the pace of operational tempo is less than they were scaled for. Hence they can then be flown on MCT flights without any extra burden on the exchequer.
Last edited by BEagle; 14th Jan 2005 at 15:30.