Public transport aviation is more regulated for the simple reason that it comes with a duty to protect innocent passengers. Genuine air taxi companies see work lost to cowboy outfits who save money on maintenance.
I doubt Henderson was spending money having the ill fated Malibu checked every week or two . Heat exchangers around aircraft exhaust systems are a well known risk when it comes to carbon monoxide poisoning.
I accept there are many pilots operating N reg aircraft within the rules but the fact remains the motivation is reducing costs.
Grant Shapps is a classic example. He should be setting an example instead of registering his aircraft via a brass plate company run from a small rented house in East Anglia . This is the same company that the Sala Malibu was registered through as are dozens of others in the UK.
As some of you may know apart from holding PPL licences for the last 35 years I am also a retired journalist with a keen nose on smelling a rat.
Shapps is both gamekeeper and poacher and I question why he needs to avoid the registration of his aircraft on the British register in favour of a small operation run by a housewife from a tiny village in Norfolk.
In my opinion Shapps has questions to answer and despite the howls of protest on other sites suggesting a press agenda I feel he should resign.
However given the latest decision by Boris I suspect he will no longer be able to lobby for aviation related companies.
Last edited by Mike Flynn; 17th Nov 2021 at 18:39.