Nigegilb,
Thanks for taking the time. It is curious that AAR has not been re-instated. Maybe CAS has blown his credibility among the wider audience. Maybe it is not as safe as we have been led to believe. I struggle to understand what the difference is between this serious leak and the ones that have preceded it that didn't warrant this scrutiny.
This crutiny is caused by a number of factors, least significant is the fuel leak itself. Firstly, a high value asset made an unplanned landing in a dodgy place. That fact alone is not very signifant, either. However, the 2 events combined to produce a unique incident that should never have reached the eyes and ears of the public, regardless of why it happened. Consequently, the adverse publicity brought politicians into the arena and the RAF effectively lost control of the situation. We now have a comprehensive report about to be completed. I believe it will make interesting reading. Based on the BOI report, the limitations on air system use and the revised AAR procedures, I believe the Nimrod design and age will not be factors and this might be key to the decision to do AAR in the future. But, it seems it will be a political decision to continue, or not, with AAR, anyway.