Thankyou John et. al. for your kind words (I have received many in the last 7 years and in spite of the "moving on" it is good to know that people are not letting it go until justice is done). The book about Ian's life also brought many letters of support from all over the world. The point here is that it also encouraged people to voice their diverse concerns about the controversy surrounding the chinook crash and ongoing investigations. I have continued to support the exhausting fight by the Cook and Tapper families whenever possible, I know that my husband would wish that, with a pilot still in the family too, it is important. The frustration is that it is all so unnecessary. Day and Wratten could save face at any time by declaring their decision wrong in the light of more recent evidence. How Wratten can continue to write such defensive self protective articles (Scottish news papers earlier this year), knowing the suffering of those 2 families I cannot understand. The Times declined to publish a letter that I addressed to Bill Wratten shortly after the Public Accounts committee report that accused the M.O.D. of using "unwarranted arrogance" in its refusal to countenance the possibility that the negligent finding is unjust. It is the same indifferent arrogance that was shown to all of the families after the crash - forcing us at that time to launch a campaign for compensation to protect the many young families left behind. It amazes me that the government choses to set up yet more enquiries into the "rights" of Northern Ireland's convicted terrorists and yet refuses to set up one more enquiry into the rights of its fine young special forces pilots who did not want to fly defective chinook equipment in the first place!
No K52 - I note by your profile that you are a "retired" RAF pilot - I would suggest that you may not wish to be associated with the RAF administration and M.O.D. civil servants of today who put economic savings before the lives and reputations of its air crew. (see the cancellation by Hoon of yet more aircraft on the news board).
I do not think it is surprising that families of those killed in the crash wish to support the pilot's families as we all share a common grief and would not have expected "blame" to be so easily and inappropriately apportioned to 2 well trained S.F. pilots. My home in N.I. was often filled by these young men and I know only too well that their training and sense of duty would not have allowed the mistakes their seniors tried to fob off on them. Interestingly, at the initial enquiry I was incensed to hear one of the legal team supposedly representing some of the families(not mine) call S.F. pilots "cowboys" My personal plan to clear their reputations probably began then in the face of such ignorance. Keep up the work please.