It is high time that we as a profession became self regulating....like any other professional body. We as commercial pilots should set the professional operating and qualification standards. Not a government clerk in the CAD, a retired navigator in the CAA, or a affirmative action employee in the FAA.
Definition of a professional association: "A group of people in a learned occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitimate practice of the occupation."
Doctors, lawyers, noteries, accountants, professional engineers, etc, are thus legally mandated to govern themselves...and the government beuracrats are removed.
Sadly, government beuracrats are, more often than not, under qualified to carry out objective oversight. Moreover, they are beholden to forces and influences that, common sence would dictate, should disqualify them from carrying out any oversight of the commercial piloting profession.
Controlled rest, where one pilot is allowed to sleep in the cockpit, would only ever be conceived in such an environment. Same for multi crew licensing, where ever decreasing flying experience is allowed to qualify one for a license. To say nothing of ridiculous and debilitating rostering practices.
Accident statistics will eventually force this change....for the better.
Last edited by raven11; 1st Apr 2015 at 04:51.