It is not Red Tape to develop a position wherein an otherwise innocent / uneducated passenger can reasonably expect to survive a flight.
The two aren't mutually exclusive! Also, your inference is that the passenger of a private flight can not reasonably expect to survive a flight.
Would you support a public transport operator style accreditation system (as for private Bus/Rail/Tram operators) for HACC/Community funded volunteer cars, driven by the public? These services perform the same service as AF in regional areas, only in cars.
I was an AF pilot. At that time, there was no form of pilot checking, other than holding a copy of licence & medical on file. It was up to the pilot to declare whether they ere legally and operationally up to the task, when they either bid for a mission or were called by the coordinators.
Just as any pilot would for their own missions.
Is AF actually a private operation? One of the criteria of the definition (hire or reward) is that the pilot receives no benefit, but AF does provide fuel through Air BP which surely constitutes 'reward', doesn't it?
Cost sharing is allowed for a Private flight.
A 'private' operation, where there is a well-funded administrative base, which advertises its service heavily in mainstream media, where pilots and aircraft are 'tasked' on 'missions' with some form of time constraint (appointments etc) doesn't sound much like a 'private' operation.
AF act as a 'broker' to find empty seats on private flights that are going to/from a destination desired by the passenger. If the pilot decides to make that a trip on it's own, that is up to him/her. They do not 'task' missions any more than a private pilot who needs to attend a meeting does, or a pilot who decides to fly some friends for a weekend away.
The AF website declares it pilots to be "heroes'
They are!
This sad event will raise many questions, questions that probably should have been raised before the show got off the ground.
AF is a perfectly legal, and commendable endeavour. The inference that a PPL endorsed pilot should not be allowed to carry passengers is a poor one.
Aviation in Australia needs LESS regulation, not more, and seeking to have a sub-set of private flights operate under quasi-commercial regulation is a VERY slippery slope.
Apologies if my post sounds attacking, it is not meant to be (i'm in a hurry
)