If the general public flying on the airlines realised who they could be sharing airspace at 500 mph with, I think they would be shocked!
This argument goes also both ways, since I know some of the people at the pointy end of, say, a 737 and even a 747 that went there in the good times from CJs and the like.
Iīm not sure wether everything in the shiny airline world is as shiny as advertised....
And that is btw the same on the roads, where a coach shares the motorway with all sorts of people....
Sadly the ' we are a small operator, and are able to police ourselves' argument does not hold water, as lots do not uphold any form of standards.
The question is - and thats where this thread started - is that so in the coorperate part of the business? If yes, then why is there so little accidents compared to the more regulated and checked AOC operators? Are "we" just the luckier dudes? Or do we fly idiotproof aeroplanes vs. the real hard to drive ones in exec charter?
I know both sides of the coin, been in the AOC world for 16 years (and still do some freelancing 'there') and being coorperate nearly 4 years now. The standards we use are more or less JAROPS 1 - I have put down the essential stuff in a little manual and had the boss sign it. The main things we donīt apply is runway factor (T/O only to FAR/JAR25 standards, so no difference here, but for landing we use 1,25 dry and 1,44 wet) and we throw away all the papers after landing. (I never understood how equalling the weight of flight docs and payload enhances safety...) Since we are just 2 guys flying one aeroplane, I donīt want to do SMS and all that other crap, because it ONLY will increase my workload - which in turn is decreasing safety IMHO. Its enough to keep all the records, stay in touch and ahead of mx records, have all courses current, schedule the refresher, do the ETS crap etcetcetc.
In the end, what would be your solution? Have a policeman/woman/person in the airplane at all times? Download the FDR/CVR after every flight and sent it to the CAA?
Who checks these nuclear power station 'drivers'? Is there a policeman checked their actions at all times? What about surgeons? And who checks the policeman?
I think there is a certain point, where we need to put faith and trust into some people. If there is a high concentration of 'unworthy' in our industry (which I doubt) then we need to ask ourselfes why and change something in the beginning - training.
I fear we wonīt agree aeronca. I feel - with all the possibilities to misunderstand each other when communicating on the net - that your reaction is sort of like the one the swiss BAZL takes with Samedan following the 2 accidents there...