To follow up my last post and to respond to Distant Voice, I turn as ever to tucumseh, for at post 1920 (thread page 96) he says:
2. As to the maintenance issue, by now it should be clear to anyone who reads and understands this thread that the term in this context refers to ALL technical, administrative, managerial and supervisory actions supporting the objective to retain or restore an item so that it is fit for purpose. You may argue semantics, but this holistic view is the one you should take. The BAeS and QinetiQ reports make it crystal clear that the MoD has failed in this DUTY at all levels. The Board of Inquiry report and especially the reviewing officers (with the notable exception of a former Director/Maritime and Nimrod MRA4 IPT Leader – I wonder why) have agreed.
Perhaps 'non-contentious' is too much to assign to any issue on this thread, perhaps I should have said "authoritatively dealt with already". The point is surely that airworthiness provision or the lack of it is the issue here, not servicing