Strange thing, what with Malta being JAA, is the fascination held by the Maltese for the FAA system.
Time was when an aspiring candidate for Air Malta could nip over to the states do a CPL and have the DCA rubber stamp the licence.
This outfit appears to have gone one better and simply imported the FAA system along with the aircraft.
I am presuming of course that the R.Micallef is the same individual
who was talking about setting up an oil support operation in the early1990s using Metro equipment ?
If so, his background was FAA PPL (possibly upgraded now to something grander) and was employee of the oil support company Medserv.
This business with the work permit :
Malta is a tiny nation state and really does need the permit system to avoid a catastrophe for the local economy, and it is vigorously enforced with arrest being followed by deportation for the illegal employee, and a hefty fine for the employer.
Seems that the game being played here is one of brinkmanship with the system, and having seen these types of employers operating on the islands in the past, I sincerely hope that the Maltese government makes an example of these people.
Interesting to note that it has'nt made the local press yet
www.timesofmalta.com[ although I have reason to believe they are aware of the discussion on this website
The history of oil support operations in Malta is not exactly untarnished.
There was an excellent and well run charter operation that ended up in the hands of a less than scrupulous operator.
His interpretation of aviation law was that it was OK to fly fare paying passengers, in a single engined aircraft, out over the Med to Tunisia on a very regular basis.
One night his luck ran out, and he took 5 innocent lives with him.
Stories abounded of Air Malta aircraft sat on the ground due to appalling weather, and our hero emerging from the swirling cloudbase claiming another brave deed.
Why the Department of Civil Aviation allowed this operation to continue is not entirely clear
