John Purdey:
Can you say whether or not the Chinooks are now airworhy? If they are not, then why are they flying; if they are now airworthy, then what caused the change? Regards JP
You ask 3 questions;
1. The Secretary of State is ultimately responsible for airworthiness. I cannot speak directly for the Chinook fleet, but given Des Browne agreed the Nimrod fleet was not airworthy I am sure his successor, and all MoD aircraft and equipment IPTs, are aware the regulations and much equipment are common, so it is a reasonable assumption that the Nimrod conclusions also apply to other aircraft. This was reinforced by the Hercules verdict.
2. As revealed in a number of BoI reports and subsequent inquests, it is common practice for MoD to fly aircraft that are not airworthy and/or unfit for purpose. Again, the responsibility ultimately rests with SoS, who can better answer your question.
3. If previously unairworthy aircraft are now airworthy and fit for purpose, I imagine, but cannot say for certain, that the change was brought about by a series of very successful PPRuNe campaigns; including Nimrod, Hercules and Mull. What is certain is that until these campaigns revealed the scale of MoD's neglect, they were content to ignore their duty of care in this respect.