Exrigger,
A quick scan of these RAs shows (at least to me) the limitations of trying to ensure (ore assure) airworthiness via regulation. This, of course, has been the MAA's main mission - to regulate absolutely everything so that all people have to do is 'comply with the regulations' to assure air safety'.
Unfortunately, at least in my experience, the level of 'air safety' or indeed airworthiness, an organisation achieves is not at all related to the amount of regulations it tries to obey. I once chaired a meeting where we aimed to take a 'first pass' at comparing RN and RAF aircraft operating and maintenance regulations. The RN guys came in with four or five books. I am not making the next bit up. The doors swung open, and our RAF colleagues pushed in a large four wheeled trolley loaded up with many tens of volumes. Note - these were the non aircraft specific regulations.
I don't want to belittle my light blue colleagues here. They worked to good standards, were keen and professional engineers. But, as we quickly found out, there were numerous examples of regulations in their own books that they didn't even know existed. many were pure dross, and could be easily ditched. (To their considerable credit, a very smart Gp Capt engineer did just that a couple of years later - I cherish a hope that the sight of the RN's slimline stack of books might have helped start that process).
The sort of problems I've been pointing out on this thread won't be solved by writing more regs. It will need a more basic appreciation of WHY things need to be done in certain ways, not WHAT the regs tell you. I don't think I ever referred to the RN or JSP regs for running files and packs, or holding meetings. I applied the principles I'd been taught, observed my superiors (good and bad), learned from them, and when I was ready, brought my own ideas into play.
Just my opinion (warning - opinions here) one of the best ways to help achieve airworthiness/air safety would be for MoD PT projects to be subjected to the sort of 'phase reviews' that BAE started doing a while back. Very experienced engineers would come in and subject your project to really close scrutiny over a period of some days. Your project could NOT proceed until you had the phase review pass certificate. It was people like this who knew what to look for.
Best regards as ever to the fine young engineers who are now doing the business for real,
Engines