downsizer:-
It seems the MAA is getting cold feet wrt RJ....
The MAA should have cold feet wrt to the MAA! So far it's claim to fame seems to be to scrap fleets because of concern over their airworthiness or as here before they even get an RTS.
They are incapable of ensuring the airworthiness of such fleets, or indeed of any fleets because the system was effectively sabotaged in the late 80's by the malevolent actions of Air Officers, mainly by replacing highly skilled, properly trained, and experienced engineers with unskilled, untrained, and inexperienced equippers who were ordered to suborn the Regulations, and did so.
The MAA is thus compromised still and unable therefore to do its job. It needs to be wrested from the MOD, and made completely independent of it. Ditto the MAAIB, which in turn must be independent of the MAA. Then and only then can the slow reform of Military Air Regulation and Investigation begin. The competency problem will remain and will require the "sistering" of these two functions with the CAA and AAIB respectively, with Civilian DG's to head them. Or we can just carry on and wait for the Airworthiness Related Accidents to continue...