Well it didn't take long for this to fall into the old "ppl's are highly dangerous" debate did it... didn't even start out like that! Hate to play devils advocate but the CAA do not sit around handing out PPLs willy nilly - people have to be trained to get them; and the people responsible for this training: The CPL/ATPL's.
I know that my training was first rate and I believe that I am capable of making sound decisions but by no means have I finished learning - luckily I am surrounded by highly regarded CPL/ATPL FIs. While I appreciate not everyone will think like me, I do believe in large part that ones attitude towards flying/safety is engendered from those who instruct. It is all too easy to assume that because PPLs appear in more accident reports the standard of airmanship is lower.
Oh, and I am neither a "peep with a mid life crisis" nor someone looking for a career in aviation.
Now, back to the subject of AOCs... it does strike me from the people I come across who have spent a lot of time in the industry that running an AOC is a very cumbersome and seemingly overly complex operation which could be simplified in order to improve safety and ensure that competition is on a level playing field.
Now a question: how do rotary operators in other countries within the EU manage AOC / leasing? I ask because in the road transport world one of the objectives of the licencing arrangements (which are nearly as complex!) is to ensure free and fair competition across the EU.