Honest question Richard, what regulatory loop holes do you feel need to be closed?
Good Morning
Megan I'll be as brief as I can 
After 30 years in aviation (two years in a flying school, but not in a flying role) I now work in Compliance and Due Diligence. I have considerable subject matter expertise in Financial Regulation and Data Protection Regulation. Both areas which have in the past decade or so have had to have considerable regulatory intervention following widespread abuse, often of a criminal and fraudulent nature. Regulation plays a vital role in moderating the legal boundaries of any commercial industy; finanacial greed - which is a timeless element of the Human Condition - will always overcome moderation in any free market enterprise. Note: this is not a political position - I am a nailed on free market capitalist myself.
Regulation is at its weakest when two factors combine:
- Enabling narrative, in other words ambiguous or vague text that allows for favourable interpretations that allow the "boundary pushers" to go beyond the legally acceptable.
- Regulations which do not establish easy/accessible opportunties for continous and real time audit and due diligence.
I believe both are currently present in aviation regualtion (not just in GA, but right across the board). Specifically in GA, I think the latter point is potentially more prevelent. Hence my disgreement with your earlier statement:
...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.
The fact is in aviation, legal action often only happens after an accident when people have already died.
I have been on Pprune pretty much since it started (changed my un a while back). Through this website I have witnessed
hundreds of fatal aviation accidents and
thousands of deaths, with many of them having regulatory failure playing a major role. Sometimes, for an ex-professional aviator, who practiced - and taught - flight safety, some of the fails are truly staggering.
I'm not going to give lists, any aviation professional that studies accidents with the simple goals of maintaining and/or raising their own flight safety awareness, will by now be nodding and thinking on any one of countless accidents featuring on this website.
It does not have to be this way. Other industries have put their own regulatory house in order - it's time aviation did too.
Thanks for reading, for those that did - I've made my point. Not everyone will agree - and that's absolutley fine.
Safe flying everyone.