Originally Posted by
wrench1
For a private entity I would agree as they might fly a Part 135, Part 91, and PAO flight all in the same day. However, for a public entity with no regulatory oversight and minimal requirements not so much. A privately owned Cessna 172 flown only on Sundays has more FAA oversight and regulatory requirements than a PAO EC135. And unfortunately there are “foolish” ops out there, especially small flight departments with tight budgets. Whether this is the case with this department has yet to be seen.
The agency being public has naught to do with it. If they are flying civil missions the FAA has jurisdiction over them, their pilots must be appropriately rated and part 91 is the rule. That many people don't understand this is because the FAA on a local level has traditionally left them alone in part out of their own ignorance and because they must simply feel they have better things to do. Right or wrong. Ref. AC 00-1.1B. Also, there have been almost no cases of an agency flying a civil mission that ended tragically that they claimed was a PAO. So little opportunity for ambulance chasing lawyers to do their thing. They can fly dopes on a rope tied to the skid in the morning but when they fly a local or state official or a reporter to show how cool the helicopter is, they should be in compliance with part 91 at the minimum.