Thanks Dr W - good job!

RAF planes 'grounded' after 'in-flight issue
 

BBC report: The RAF has "grounded" its fleet of military Voyager transport planes following, what the Ministry of Defence calls an "in-flight issue" .

The BBC has been told a Voyager carrying British troops back to Afghanistan dropped a few thousand feet while in Turkish airspace.

More details:
BBC News - RAF planes 'grounded' after 'in-flight issue'

Any similarities with QF72...?

Sounds similar doesn't it, the QF 72 incident was pinned down to miss matched ADC ,s. Being installed. Apparently batch numbers are critical .

At least the RAF's TriStar fleet, which for all it's faults doesn't have a habit of falling out of the sky, isn't due to be retired in a few weeks. Doh :ugh:

Deliberate rapid descent due pressurisation issues perhaps?

Voyager Plummets (Merged)
 

Rule one glad the pax are ok, ish.

Rule two all eggs in over expensive basket means much egg on face as well as hat when issue bites you on the bum

Military Aircraft Register only
 

The Voyager on the Civilian Aircraft Register is apparently not grounded. That is the one that does the twice weekly airbridge BZZ to ASI and MPN. What is the difference? Refuelling pods?

Are the shares in Airw*nker now plummeting at a similar rate?

I do wonder if, when those bright-eyed beancounters and marketing young turks decided on Airtanker as a name, they even considered what the brutal and licentious aircrew might make of it at the first sign of a cockup.

Welcome to this planet, dears.

The answer to that surely depends on how cynical you want to be?

The Mil registered ac have different software to include AAR calculations, so it could be particular to those ac.

If Airbus Mil ground the G-reg fleet as well, then that's a tacit admission of a wider problem (Quantas QF72?) and your share price takes a hit...you choose :ok:

They are not grounded, they are just conducting an operational pause............

Have they scrapped all the 10's yet or is there any left sat in a hanger / corner of an airfield somewhere?

Not so, Uncle Ginsters! By now, Voyager certainly should have a Mission System, which delivers AAR planning and management, but as the system still doesn't work, it hasn't yet been incorporated.

Whereas the A310MRTT had a specifically mandated requirement for the Mission System to be standalone and emphatically not to be capable of interfering with the (non-FBW) core aircraft software. As a result, it works well - as does the A310MRTT, of course.

The A330MRTT has, as I understand it, a modified AFS whereas the 'green' civil A330 aircraft operated by AirTanker are simply normal A330-243 aircraft painted grey.

If only Airbus Military had taken a leaf out of Airbus (Hamburg)'s book and simply converted the A330 to include minimum necessary modifications (such as the A310 Mission System) - preferably NOT in Spain, the RAF would by now have had a more reliable, simpler and more effective tanker. But someone let clever-devil engineering geeks loose on the design and the current bolleaux is but one result....

It will be very interesting to learn how software assurance will be provided to MAA concerning the audit trail of the A330 Mission System if/when it is ever considered ready....:rolleyes:

Correct me if I'm wrong but Airbus/Airbus Military have not grounded the Voyager Fleet. The RAF have. As far as I am aware, the other nations flying the MRTT are still operating.

I've not been involved with AirTanker for a number of years, but the original intension was to modify all the aircraft and then remove (de-role) the military equipment for those on the civil register.

If the civvy version is still flying, has it undergone the conversion or is it an 'original' A330?

The vicious rumour mill at BZN was 11000 ft/min - lost 8000ft over 45 seconds before the handling pilot pulled himself off the cockpit ceiling and managed to regain control.

It's a rumour, but is certainly persistent.

Similar rate of descent to that of Air France.

Good drills, well done him/her.

One wonders why (s)he wasn't strapped in...

(Although I've no doubt the rumours are just that)

It is a pity the Scottish AF have already bought the TriStars ! ;)