AN LAME,
Thanks for posting the relevant documents. I perused CAR 1988 and CAR1998 yesterday but didn't have a chance to check the ICAO documents. As with any legal document, they are open to interpretation and ambiguities. I still believe (well, my interpretation,) that in the current CAR's that there is no requirement for LAME's to carry out or indeed certify for a walk-around/pre-flight inspection. And to issue a new maintenance release prior to each flight? I don't think any Australian airline does that now (Could be wrong), nor is required too.
I note in the ICAO's doc's that:-
· Annex 6, Part 1 Chapter 4.3.1: A flight shall not be commenced until flight preparation forms have been completed certifying that the pilot-in-command is satisfied that:
a) the aeroplane is airworthy;
c) a maintenance release as prescribed in 8.7 has been issued in respect of the aeroplane;
Paragraph (c) doesn't say that a NEW MR has to be issued before EACH flight.
My interpretation is that the MR has been issued at some time previous, and is IN FORCE at the time of the flight.
Even AN didn't issue a new MR every night.
In this instance, I have to agree with the last comments made by Airsupport and to a lesser extent Pimpdaddy. Lame's will be still required to Issue MR's.
PimpDaddy, the last I heard, the QF -800's didn't require preflight certification, but the LAME's are still doing it and I think the ALAEA is pursuing the matter with QF.
Cheers!
GTG!