TD. I started flying the Nimrod 30 odd years ago and having been taught by some of the best instructors that I have had the privilage to meet was fully aware of the good and bad points of the aircraft that I flew in. As a trade the Air Engineer prides himself on his or her technical knowledge of their given aircraft and many a visit to NMSU by the training people ensured that we were kept up to date with what was going on with the aircraft......I am sure the same thing goes on today......the rest of the crew were specialists in their fields and pilots very often chipped in with their knowledge of the aircraft systems too so saying that crews did not fly with the full knowledge of what was going on shows just what you think of the crews that flew and are still flying the Nimrod. They are out and out professionals who would stand shoulder to shoulder with the best. Dont degrade their skills by saying they dont know or understand the aircraft ....they trust me know a lot more than you are being led to believe.
As for trivalising fuel leaks......who has said that is what I am trying to do, it is you who is throwing out the statistics without knowing what type of fuel leak that has been reported so I think you are using the wrong word there. I have had an aircraft full of fuel when the basket fell off a trailled hose....we could have had more problems but we didnt maybe we were lucky, what did we do the ground crew fixed the aircraft we flew it again in full knowledge that the same thing could happen again, same as the next Nimrod and subsequent crews have done since the day your son died.
We all choose the career that we do and in full knowledge of what could happen, we know that the aircraft that we are flying are old and really do need replacing but at the moment they are staying and as a profession we do our jobs......if the aircraft were as bad as you make them out trust me they would not fly them there are many ways of getting out of flying if they wanted too.
You are on a crusade for your son I can understand that but dont try and take the professionalism out of the crews in doing so. Let you son be remembered for who he was and not for what his father did.