Hi all
With regard to getting a Magister airworthy,the ARB in the UK grounded all of them in 1954,allegedly because the casein glue used in their construction was becoming unsound.They required total stripdowns,including opening glue joints, which was uneconomical,given the low value of a Maggie then, so dozens were burnt or chopped up.If the Air Corps Magister has not had it's joints examined, then it would probably require a total rebuild from the ground up.Bring on the big cheque-book! Another crucial point is: who would certify it? Does it get certified as a "military" aircraft and get signed off by an Air Corps inspector and hence has to be maintained, in perpetuity, by the Air Corps on the public purse.Or does it get put on the civvie register and operated on a Permit to Fly, under the aegis of the Classic and Antique club,albeit under Air Corps supervision and expense? Also, the Air Corps are on tricky legal ground if they fly any obsolete aircraft, especially a taildragger,even if they own it, given that there are no pilots certified under the Air Corps' own legislation to fly taildraggers/Chipmunks,etc. An Officer certifying himself to fly something he is not "current" on, is bending the rules to suit himself and is putting himself,the aircraft and the organisation at risk.
