ACW342,
May I add my congratulations for an excellent post - hammer, nail and head are three words that come to mind. BZ.
The explanation given in the reply concerning GRP repairs is, frankly, risible. It smacks of exactly what happened in the Mull of Kintyre saga, where Ministers were being fed inaccurate or incomplete response to fair questions. In particular, GRP aircraft are not, by any stretch of any imagination 'one of the most complex aircraft to maintain and repair'. I think that aircraft with thick stretch formed metal skins, machined frames and complex fasteners get that prize.
But as Tuc would probably ask (so i will) 'what are the RAF trying to hide?' about the standard of repairs on the ATC fleet?. To repeat some of my previous guesses:
1. Repairs not being recorded on Airframe Log Cards
2. Lack of a proper Topic 6 leading to repairs that aren't approved.
Add in poor supervision, and you're lining up a lot of holes in a lot of safety related swiss cheeses.
A bit like Nimrod, Chinook, Tornado.....I'll hazard a guess that some MoD rear ends are puckering just a bit right now.
Best Regards as ever to those who really walk the airworthiness walk,
Engines