What, for that matter, is the meaning of Airworthiness? In the early years, aerodynamics and structural strength were the main preoccupations of those concerned with the safety of aircraft and their crews, and “airworthy” meant little more than that the aircraft was believed to be safe to fly. The wider range of safety requirements covered by the British Civil Airworthiness Requirements is the subject of another chaper. In the military field, the Joint Airworthiness Committee has introduced the concept of being “safe to meet the operational needs of the Service”.