Brian,
good work on the website (fancy a job?)
re the role of the HofL inquiry - I think you might have slightly mis-understood what was said at the Group meeting last week (not difficult with the amount of legalistic phrases being thrown around!!):
There are 2 issues. The first will be for the committee to decide if the RAF acted illegally in making its "gross negligence" judgement. I can't remember the correct term but basically the Air Marshals acted outside their jurisdiction. This is purely a legal argument and could be settled in a short space of time. If that was the case it's endex for the RAF argument & the inquiry - the RAF were wrong, case closed.
The second, and more likely scenario, is that the inquiry hears all of the argumnets from both sides. They will then decide if the Air Marshals were WRONG (as opposed to acted illegally), on the evidence they had, to find the pilots guilty of gross negligence (manslaughter).
As has been explained on a number of occasions, the inquiry will not be questioning the integrity of Wratten & Day. it will decide if they made the right or wrong decision.
I am going to check this - and I stand to be corrected.