I don't see any regulatory loop holes Richard, it's just a case of catching the transgressors, a bit like those speedsters on the freeway, the rules are there, you just need to catch them and put them in front of the courts.
We would disagree there Megan, but hopefully only on a point of semantics.
I come from a school of thought that says that leisure flying and commercial flying should kept 100% separate and regulations should be in place to prevent any overlap and substantially inhibit any "tinkering" with the rules. Anyone who has been around GA for any length of time will know exactly where the grey areas are. Other than a long life long interest in flight safety lingering from a 30 year professional career in aviation, I have no dog in the fight, so I'll refrain from details...there are commercial operators who no doubt will have more to say. Indeed some already are (my bold):
The Air Charter Association said the sentencing would set a precedent for the future.
Chief executive Glenn Hogben said: "There's more that can be done but it will certainly serve as a significant deterrent to people who are either currently involved in these types of practices or make people think twice about taking that sort of direction."