Even back in '74 when 10 Sqn were called "Shiny Ten", their VC10s were still young, and all the captains were Sqn Ldrs (Are you a REAL Sqn Ldr, or just a VC10 pilot?) they flew around with lots of deferred defects. What do you expect? they're bl**dy airliners after all, and the redundancy designed into them isn't just for safety margins, its also meant to keep them earning. Just like the grubby old 39,000 hour/19,000Cyc B757 parked outside my window right now, VC10s like to fly and give less trouble that way. Leave them on the ground and the reumatics soon set in. There's nothing special about that, and its hardly a national security issue.
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Through difficulties to the cinema