Looks like RAF RJ will open Waddo Airshow.

With a bang?

...cleared display flying only!

RAF Rivet Joint
 

Did hear at a conference yesterday that it was about to get an emergency clearance for use on ops only, that it would then go out to HERRICK to cover the drawdown, but there was a chance of it being grounded once back to enable the full clearance process to be sorted.

Emergency clearance for ops and fly pasts do not sit comfortably together.

Glad to see the Hog starting to earn its living.

So, it's grounded apart from when it needs to fly?

Oh dear
This would be embarrassing if it was the military...

On ops.

now what do they do about training?

Training is done on Ops these days Gladders. Wonder how that would look in the case of a big nasty? God forbid!

OAP

If the RJ is anything like the R we had a Rear Crew Trainer (RCT) it was set up just like the real thing. (Apart from not having an automatic hot pie dispenser!)The boxes were interchangeable with those on the aircraft. Some of the rack assembles were also made to aircraft standard at one time. (Up to the early 90s) As far as the back end was concerned it was like having a forth aircraft.

So thats the way it is these days huh? I was always led to believe that you make your mistakes BEFORE the critical mission....

http://www.neimagazine.com/uploads/n...iss-cheese.jpg

From this - dated May 2013


51 Squadron Personnel Reach 20,000 Operational Flying Hours | The Insight Online

and this - dated Nov 2013 -


http://www.offutt.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123371162

- 51 Squadron personnel might justifiably claim they were already quite well trained.


LFH

Whilst a decent number of hours have been clicked up by RAF crew, have RJ missions been flown by totally RAF crews, possibly with a USAF observer? Team dynamics.....

wellll there always has to be a moment when there are NO USAF personnel on board

TBH this is just allowing creeping acceptance - we fly it at a few airshows so the GB Public see it , and no doubt lots of pics in the papers, we are ready to use it in action "immediately if needed" and no doubt we'll see a gradual buildup in "necessary training"

I'm willing to bet that no-one will ever sign off a full release but they will just work round it a little here, a little there :rolleyes::rolleyes:

What did they call it in NASA?
 

Creeping normalisation, well we did it with RJ so it must be OK for JSF, and Watchkeeper, and Chinook 6, and Wildcat etc etc etc.... :{

SS

I beg to differ about the start of Normalisation: It started as soon as the MAA started.

Must be a Waddington thing - new aircraft, RTS CLE, kit 'switch on only' clearance and only flying on ops.....

HH:-...and therein lies the irony. If military airworthiness provision had remained unmolested by RAF VSOs almost 30 years ago all this hiatus would have been avoided. You would have experienced fully trained airworthiness engineers in post who would have simply turned to the established procedures and regulations to provide a solution for this aircraft to go into service, whether for training, displaying, or for war. You can't even call these unexpected consequences, for they were predicted at the time by the very people being given the order of the boot, ie those who refused to suborn the regulations and strove to the very last to enforce them.

The creeping introduction of this aircraft into RAF service, no doubt correctly predicted here, would be as cynical and potentially disastrous as was the illegal RTS issued to a knowingly grossly unairworthy Chinook Mk2.

Chickens are coming home to roost now, and the MOD has to face up at last to the consequences of subverting Haddon-Cave and consequently the MAA. It can only get out of this situation of its own making by admitting the past, and reforming Military Air Safety. That means an independent MAA and MAAIB, both of the MOD and of each other. That means some people's collars being felt.

Or, on the other hand, the avoidable accidents and pointless deaths can simply continue...

Nimrod II perhaps?

RAF on USAF RJ Ops
 

Response to previous posts:
No. I am sure there are no all RAF crew ops flying a USAF aircraft. Why? To quote a rather disastrous recent Sec State: "What difference does it make anyway."
Please, I beg you guys, give UP on this ridiculous circle target shooting on the matter of RJ operations.
The RJs have been flying since the 70s. They have all gone through numerous modifications at Greenville. They have ALL gone through extensive flight systems testing at Greenville. They have ALL gone through extensive backend equipment upgrades and certifications. And, the RAF RJs are just the same as the USAF RJs. They are all considered ONE FLEET.
Someone in the MoD should 'man-up', make the RTS decision, tell everyone else to concentrate on brand new aircraft procurement under the "new" rules and put the RJ into operations ASAP.