tuc:-
this is simple, basic stuff. So basic that few at an air station, and certainly no aircrew, ever see it happening. But it is money in the bank.
As an ex driver airframe I can appreciate that there is a sense amongst we two wing wonder gods that what Engines and tucumseh tell us is no doubt all true but is also rather esoteric arcane stuff, and life is too short to worry about it. I would strongly recommend reconsideration lest life become all too short, whether you drive gliders, helicopters, trainers, transports, or fast jets, etc!
I was blissfully unaware of how lucky I was that such a dedicated, experienced and knowledgeable team were watching my 6 o'clock when I served. I was indeed very lucky because that team isn't there anymore, they've been replaced by those who are inexperienced and lack knowledge, armed with a revised rule book that has replaced airworthiness maintenance with a tick box system that simply... ticks boxes.
So far the RAF has lost its ACO gliders, its Nimrods and its Sentries. You might note that none of them are core fleets for RAF operations, serving instead civilian youth, Royal Navy, and NATO commitments. The wagons are being drawn into ever tighter circles and pretty soon those core capabilities will be hit. Time is running out and the RAF needs to grasp this nettle, face up to the part that it has played in this scandal, and allow the return to full airworthiness of the UK military fleets by making Regulator and Investigator independent of it, the MOD, and each other.
Self Regulation doesn't work and in Aviation it Kills!