Originally Posted by
Brian W May
So . . . we're going to call it a 'carrier' on account we've got no aircraft for it . . .
Never considered a helicopter to be an aircraft (unless it was dragging me out of the ****).
Last Wednesday, QNLZ was still an 'industrial site' run by a civilian trials master with contractors embarked and civilian working rules applied. Her service personnel weren't even allowed booze or family visitors on board. She had undergone basic harbour and sea trials to check she could float, move, navigate, communicate and satisfy the myriad conditions laid down by SOLAS, the H&SE and dozens of other international and national agencies; also that her onboard systems could accommodate and sustain the hundreds of people manning her at sea.
On Thursday, QNLZ was accepted by the RN as a vessel satisfying these basic requirements and work will start in the New Year to make her ready to accept aircraft and operate them safely including the embarkation and storage of fuel, ordnance and the extra manpower involved. Volumes of trials schedules, running to tens of thousands of pages, will take many busy months to complete before she achieves full operational status in 2023 for a career stretching 40 or 50 years into the future.
The UK takes delivery of its 14th F-35B this month and has had RN and RAF personnel in the USA being trained in their operation and maintenance for several years. More F-35Bs, containing the latest software updates and hardware, are in the pipeline. Despite all this, much 'opinionated ignorance' will still be expressed about QNLZ's lack of fixed wing aircraft even though she is not yet licensed to receive them, let alone ready to operate and maintain them.