Licencing Operations Staff
Given the ten of thousands of pages of manuals, operating handbooks, AIPS and regulations that a pilot is tested on initially and on a recurring basis (as deemed by the regulator), then why is that people can work in the critical area of operations free of any requirement for the regulator to assess if he/she has an adequate knowledge of the legislative requirements that encompass the position?
I believe it is very easy for operations' personnel to set up a pilot which may result in an adverse outcome for which the powers to be will ultimately hold the pilot responsible for. There are a few words in the rule books where it states the "the operator shall ensure..." , however, in my view, that does not translate into anything of substance in the real world. I believe there would be plenty of anecdotal evidence to support that view. There is many a comment of a person involved with operations who is bereft of any knowledge of the basic requirements (or chooses not to know). I believe people in these positions should be licenced and subject to an equivalent level of initial and recurrent testing that flight crew are, or conversely, remove all references in all of the rule books that refer to the "pilot in command will be responsible...." and replace with "the operator.
What is your view?