LFFC:
Quote:
...and, of course, when the aircraft is used in the comms role.
That's an interesting thought. Will the MFTS King Airs based at Culdrose actually be used in the comms role? I thought MFTS was only a training outfit.
Maybe it's more likely that, if this will be a civilian run organisation, the civilian aircraft captain will have to be the "Aircraft Commander".
I'm pretty sure that whatever it says on paper, the temptation to use shiny new King Airs as Admiral's Barges will be too strong to resist! Also, a degree of comms use will be inevitable with things such as Compassionates etc.
On your last point, I did hear that the new aircraft will be civvy maintained/owned/flown but with military registrations... whether that changes things... Naval Aviation Orders do state, however, that the QOI is to be a/c cdr in all training sorties; and I can't see that changing.