Well answering the first question first. Don't get me wrong it's a great fun machine to fly, but it's basically a touring aeroplane with ergonomics and powerplant designed for that. The AC use it as an ab-initio trainer. In that it has several major deficiencies...
- It needs long runways and has a poor rate of climb, thus restricting airfields that can be used and making circuits very slow.
- The engine over-cools at idle and takes a long time to warm up again, so time on the ground on a landing /backtrack/take-off can be quite significant.
- Engine reliability is poor, causing the AC to prohibit solo student flying (or at least they had for at-least 5 years after we certified it - is that still the case?) which is a bit of a disadvantage in a basic trainer.
- The fragile powerplant needs far too many maintenance man hours per flying hour thus eating up the AC's budget that should be spent on other things.
- It's too expensive, 2-3 times as many simpler draggier aircraft could have been bought for the money - and worldwide there are hundreds of cheap basic but sufficiently capable aeroplanes to choose from. Wouldn't look as pretty, but would probably get far more cadets up for the money. (And yes, HQAC would have had to re-write the venerable motorglider syllabus for something else, but that's hardly the end of the world). As an example take a look at what the Indian National Cadet Corps are using.
And please don't blame me for any of this - HQAC decided upon the aircraft, THEN presented it to BDN and asked us to certify it. (I've also wondered why for such a large buy there was no attempt to procure inside the UK also).
Navex, if you'd like to dig out the criteria you were given making the Vigilant a TMG and either post it here or Email it to me I'll gladly do my best to shoot it down in flames as a piece of public service.
G