Land based is clearly those units not deployed afloat. Even in the heady days of Phantoms and Buccs, not all the the FAA was onboard Eagle or the Ark.
I would have thought that 'routinely' means that the embarked squadron(s) will stay on board for a full cruise whilst the others stay ashore (unless the best operating model is faffing about with replacements every one-third of the cruise) so it makes sense for those units at home to be as ready to deploy as they can, hence suggesting the SRVL default.
I would appreciate Engines' input (I would hope that the construstion of the fan and drive-shaft don't limit it to x landings before it is slagged down and rebuilt) but would it not be dumb-thinking to not keep current in high bring back weight landings.
Last edited by Finnpog; 3rd Jul 2013 at 20:46.