Simple querstion; how do you justify not providing a 'fit for purpose machine' on a regular basis.
Well, there's fitness for
which purpose, and how regular is regular.
An aircraft with instruments which are U/S until it goes into the shop in two hours time and which as a result cannot be flown in cloud might well still be fit for purpose VFR, and from the punter's point of view this might well be preferable to having the aircraft taken out of service earlier and having the resulting higher hourly rental charge.
At a more basic level if I'm flying circuits or doing a well-known local tour I don't give a toss about nav instruments, whereas if I'm going somewhere new I'll want at least
some of the avionics to be working!
Is it up to the pilot what is required for the intended flight?
It is if it's me and I'm renting! - if enough things are broke I won't accept the aircraft, the club can either offer me another one or I'll go home.
So far this has happened to me exactly 0 times although it's been close, in terms of broken avionics, once or twice. Sounds to me like a club with a reasonable understanding of the requirements and tolerance of its punters
