Reality Check
Wirraway,
Firstly, let me point out that Venture_Executive is not Todd. I am sorry if the thrust appears similar but the facts are substantially correct and this appears to be leading you to think this way.
You are correct in your assumption that the consultants have committed their free time to the venture and is receiving favourable support from certain corporations in the same way. There are over 45 consultants on the project and the standard of work is very high.
Insofar as the AOC is concerned, we are committed to work closely with CASA and timing of the AOC is not going to be a major issue as we have already made substantial progress.
Through improved accountability, training and procedures, Pacific Southwest Engineering Pty Limited will ensure the new airline has a respectable first class engineering business that will ensure the airline delivers exceptional performance to its customers to Aviation and ISO9000 series standards.
The LAME you refer to is an exceptional lateral thinker, is widely respected for his strong business knowledge and ethics. His quality focus is to be admired. He has been known to many in the airline industry as a person who has the ability to bring multi-disciplinary teams together with exceptional synergies to focus on achieving quality outcomes. The opportunity to start the venture with a LAME at the head is opportunistic in view of public concerns about airline maintenance. This also makes the process with CASA considerably easier as it understands our concern that any adaptation of the Ansett product needs to demonstrate a sound system of maintenance.
Take Care