HH:-
If MAA don't approve RivetJoin after we've bought it and its been in service for years with the USAF I doubt the Treasury or No. 10 will ever allow the RAF to buy another aircraft ever again......................
And everyone involved with turning it down will be on the s*** list forever - no
promotion
, no gongs
I'm sure that thought isn't in their minds at all tho'.........
What goes around comes around! The genesis for this debacle dates back to the late 80's and 'is coming to a unit near you soon'. Your comments are well made HH and point to the urgency of making the MAA and the MAAIB independent of the MOD and of each other. High visibilty situations like MRA4 or RJ are simply the tip of this ginormous iceberg. There probably isn't an aircraft or system in service that won't upon investigation prove to be unairworthy, as the SI into the tragic death of Flt Lt Cunningham has shown us.
Reversing the effects of the deliberate and malevolent attack on UK Military Airworthiness by RAF VSOs in the late 80s/ early 90s is going to take decades. Like any such long march it can only be started by taking that first step. That must be by the RAF biting the bullet, admitting what happened, and taking action against the willful suborning of Mandatory Regulations and the issuing of Illegal Orders. That will take leadership...is it there?