My thoughts
I think the VC10 will soon continue to fly it's core mission of providing worldwide AT & AAR until a phased introduction of the A330 FSTA begins in 2011.
I don't blame the minister for making the instant decision he felt he had to, given the evidence he had at the time. 'Covering his six maybe', but ultimately it was the safest option until a review could be made.
Clearly the VC10 will not be the only ac in the military inventory to be reviewed in the wake of the Nimrod enquiry (standby C130K fleet). It is slightly disappointing to go from being OK to 'no passenger flying' overnight, but once presented with the evidence that has been gathered in response to this, I'd expect a favourable decision when weighing up the true risk involved in VC10 AT ops.
It seems that the worry here is more the risk to 'civilian pax' carried i.e. family movements (AKT schedule), fun flights, indulgees, charity event flights etc.
Cost and age aside, it's quite likely (in my opinion) that an agreement will soon be reached to continue it's AT missions for military personnel only; which is of course the majority of the AT task.
Let's wait and see. Maybe the sudden and large bill for charter will give ministers a shock in itself!
Personally, I think that the 'fail safe' fatigue life design of the VC10 together with it's excellent safety record and proven operating procedures make it a far safer platform than most outsiders might presume. Long live the VC10.
Last edited by radio-silent; 22nd Jan 2010 at 00:40.