Nature has left this tincture in the blood
That all men would be tyrants if they could
Daniel Defoe
One point apparently overlooked by most is the requirement for an AOC to conduct such medivac flights. What is this AOC? Is it an attempt by CASA at Commercial regulation or purely a Safety device.
As CASA is precluded from the former, it must have to do with safety. In fact it implies the pilot's license is inadequate to conduct such flights without the benefit of an AOC! So what is it about this certification which empowers a pilot to conduct such risky flights? When his license won't allow it.
In Dominic James's case, he lost his license. He was found to be inadequately trained, but his authority to conduct the flight was never questioned because he was guided by an AOC. The AOC was not cancelled as was his license yet it alone made the flight legal. The now proven shortcomings in the AOC documentation had the CASA imprimatur, obtained at great expense after having been exposed to expert scrutiny prior to issue and again at renewal. After the event these same experts have been able to identify numerous (safety) deficiencies yet the AOC is still in place. Surely CASA are selling a defective product! And this for a monopoly.
What makes Pelair so different to receive such lenient treatment. There were numerous AOC holders out there who lost their livelihood for far less, my own included. Could this perhaps explain the delay in the ATSB report, the several versions and exclusions.