The great thing about this site, is that everyone is entitled to an opinion.
If I thought the RAF would have insisted on every Herc being sent into theatre with fuel tank protection I never would have started the Herc thread.
If I thought the RAF would insist on Nimrod getting bomb bay fire protection and fuel tank protection I would never have posted on this thread.
As for accountability, in the case of the Hercules it came down to a culture. A "can do" culture from aircrew right the way up to CAS and Defence Ministers. A willingness to take risks with other peoples lives, a willingness to take risks with one's own life. Believe me, I have been there. I have no reason to believe this culture does not exist throughout the AF, it is what we are admired for. It is also an achilles heal
Don't expect objectiveness from the guys in the thick of it, from people with no money to spend, or from Chiefs of Staff with a whole host of problems and pressures to deal with.
We need more independence both in the make up of the BoI and the way RAF engineering is regulated.
The great thing about this site is that we are free to express an opinion.
Last edited by nigegilb; 5th November 2007 at 19:04.