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The BBC report that the Tucano is soon to be retired: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-y ... e-49579220

I'm sure there are still some people who will say "good" but I have a different view. I was on the MOD(PE) Tucano desk in 1988-91 and, for what was being paid (£1.25M each IIRC) the RAF got a bargain. The performance was excellent compared to the Jet Provost and from the safety point of view, while the JP fleet used to lose an aircraft or two each year in the 60s and 70s, the Tucano fleet lost only 5 aircraft (of 130) in 30 years service.

There was a saying within MOD(PE) that "Embraer designed a Skoda, the RAF are paying for a Ford, they are getting a Jaguar and they want a Rolls-Royce". (No disrespect to Skoda, but they weren't as good in the 80s as they are now.)

I guess that a few more will now be released from store to anyone who wants to fly one as a civilian aircraft.

Dominie wrote:..the RAF got a bargain...

.. and, as bonuses:

a. quite a few jobs were created/saved in NI, when this was politically important; and

b. it discreetly helped keep Brazil neutral to pro-UK in international and particularly intra-South-American diplomacy over the Falklands issue

Obviously, such considerations arguably should not drive military procurement decisions, but inevitably they do.

Dominie wrote:
I guess that a few more will now be released from store to anyone who wants to fly one as a civilian aircraft.

Me! Me! Me!

Now, where's that Euromillions ticket?

Rob P

Just sitting inside and moving the controls conveys a sense of the precision. With a running engine ........

Edited for typo

Dominie wrote:The BBC report that the Tucano is soon to be retired: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-y ... e-49579220

I guess that a few more will now be released from store to anyone who wants to fly one as a civilian aircraft.

Can they operate from an 800m runway like the turbine Fircracker could?
They could always transfer some to the AEFs

What’s going to replace it ?

Vans RV something probably, very cost effective I should think

Bill McCarthy wrote:What’s going to replace it ?

Beechcraft Texan

https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/texan-t-mk1/

johnm wrote:Vans RV something probably, very cost effective I should think

Order some quick build kids, then get the squadies or the cadets to build them.
Everyone wins.

Anything in the rumour that they were disassembled, checked and reassembled upon delivery from Shorts?

rogerb wrote:Anything in the rumour that they were disassembled, checked and reassembled upon delivery from Shorts?

I was working at Scampton when an awful lot of Control Surfaces were being stripped & re-painted ,due to incorrect Paint job , causing flutter .

Rob P wrote:

Dominie wrote:
I guess that a few more will now be released from store to anyone who wants to fly one as a civilian aircraft.

Me! Me! Me!

Now, where's that Euromillions ticket?

Rob P

Will it get in and out of Old Buck okay?

And just shout if you need a navigator to help bring it home!

Airborne wrote:

Bill McCarthy wrote:What’s going to replace it ?

Beechcraft Texan

https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/texan-t-mk1/

I saw one of those over Herefordshire last week

Sooty25 wrote:
Will it get in and out of Old Buck okay?

With our massive runway extension now in place the only issue will be slotting in between the A380s.

Rob P

Airborne wrote:

Bill McCarthy wrote:What’s going to replace it ?

Beechcraft Texan

https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/texan-t-mk1/

Reminds me of the Firecracker.