T&B, I suspect that in time just about every UK military airfleet will be seen to have "airworthiness issues" as a result of the decision at the very highest levels to suborn the UK Military Airworthiness Regulations.
It may well be the MOD position, as tuc tells us, that such a decision is legal, and thus orders to implement that policy are legal, but that tells us more about the immoral and illegal mess that is the MOD than it does about the law. Orders to suborn mandated regulations are illegal under UK Military Law, and the place to confirm that is in court, not Main Building. It is an offence under UK Military Law to obey an illegal order rather than refusing and reporting it, as Fitter rightly points out.
In the meantime tuc's point re the MAA is well made. As long as it remains a part of the MOD it cannot be relied upon to implement the Regulations, no matter the assurances to do so, no matter how industrious the sign-writers have been, no matter how far from London it be located. It has to be separate and independent of the MOD, and be seen to be so. Only then may we have confidence that the UK Military Airfleet will resume and retain, albeit slowly, full compliance with the UK Military Airworthiness Regulations.
Last edited by Chugalug2; 29th Dec 2010 at 11:21.
Reason: Duty to disobey an illegal order.