Thanks Jock, that is exactly my experience too, but add things like generators, instrumentation, nav and de-icing kit to the list of dodgy gear expected in such ops...Ugh, and those horrible Garrets.
The enormous relief in finding oneself grounded in a clapped out junker is something I'd forgotten until you mentioned it, second only to the even more enormous relief when sacked for questioning the tech state of the fleet.
The CAA hasn't learned a thing, has it?