Tuc said:
"No magic wand will make the UK Military Fleet airworthy again."
Neither is there a fairy godmother to do it.
Almost ALL the RAFs aircraft can be made airworthy - but they will need willpower and some funding (groan)
To make something as "small" as one Tornado airworthy will take approx two years to plan, act, check and issue an Airworthiness Certificate (and its first ARC if thats your aim)
First, you have to identify and plan the maintenance of major and even some minor components and get them all overhauled to a point when you can reliably state their known condition.
Second, the chosen aircraft is taken into Base maintenance for a Major Check. All components are stripped and sent for overhaul (for the next aircraft in), all repairs are checked for correct rivets, metal specs and Drawing compliance. A full structural integrity survey is carried out and defects repaired iaw OEM standards. An Ageing Aircraft survey is conducted alongside and elecrical integrity check, etc, etc.
Finally, all known-condition components are installed and all systems tested iaw OEM instructions including Check Flights.
All the aircraft and components documentation is retained for future reference/audit/investigation - for at least the In-Service-Life of the aircraft plus two years.
Once you have a full aircraft with known components and confirmed history start points (because all the previous historic documents are likely to have been thrown away iaw MOD rules!) a kind CAA surveyor MAY issue an Airworthiness Certificate...
And then, of course, after all that hard work, the aircraft returns to the Line for their "care and attention to accurate documentary detail"... Oh well...You can take a Horse to water...
Maybe the MAA do have the right attitude to Military maintenance standards?
Anyone got some really thin Paste for this cheap wallpaper?