The frightening thing about this type of action is when it comes to our SMS systems. They will no longer be of much of a worry to the regulator, other than glaring deficiencies but the scrutiny an operator will face from the lawyers, eliminates any thought of the system being open to promote safety.
That is, under SMS, being open and honest about our safety reviews or rationale for certain actions, leaves us, potentially at the mercy of the courts and the interrogation by lawyers.
Why don't we just have the courts take over the regulation of aviation and dispense with the regulators?
The more I see about SMS, the more I feel that the regulators are using it as a form of "self regulation", the same as many governments are doing, downloading the total responsibility onto the operator, be it a major airline or a local mom and pop shop. Maybe the airlines can absorb the cost of a system to protect themselves but where does that leave the smaller operators?
carholme