From the TVNZ website:
New Zealand's aviation watchdog is cracking down on rogue pilots and operators.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it has created a world-first surveillance system and passengers are being urged to dob-in pilots they believe to be a safety risk.
An Air Adventures crash in Christchurch in June 2003 killed seven Crop and Food scientists and their pilot.
And now the CAA is changing rules governing small airlines by making it tougher for newcomers to start up businesses, while those already operating are now under increased surveillance. The new system is being described as a world-first.
"Rather than visiting every operator once a year for a sort of routine equivalent of a warrant of fitness for a car, if an operator is deemed to be high risk as Mr Bannerman was, we would've been paying that operator a lot more attention than some of the better operators," says Russell Kilvington of CAA.
An airline's safety risk is being determined by regular checks CAA makes itself and from complaints it receives.
Airline safety cards will soon become mandatory on all fee-paying flights. On small operators those cards will come complete with a phone number so passengers can later dob-in pilots or operators they suspect of flying dangerously.
"That will mean passengers have got some comfort if they do report to us, we're committed to taking action," says Kilvington.
Companies found guilty of minor offences now face fines up to $12,000, while severe safety concerns will result in an operator being grounded.
The increased surveillance follows critical reports from both the auditor-general and the Christchurch coroner, who investigated the Air Adventures crash.
While many of their recommendations are being taken up, others are proving harder to implement. And setting up a system where consumers can look up an airline's safety record is proving a legal minefield, with operators fighting to protect their reputations.
original article -
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/981314
Surely the stupidest idea I have ever heard.
Discuss...