And the tiger with bigger teeth is......??????

Anyone prepared to get off their backside and make their presence felt !!!!

The insurance company.

Whereas the penalty for infringement of the rules as far as the CAA are concerned might be a fine, the penalty potentially from the insurance company is FAR greater. They have the power and the right not to pay out if the circumstances of the claim resulted from an illegal act. I must say that THEY are the reason we meticulously check that all our hirers are in date with medicals, ratings etc...

TOO

AOPA UK does vigorously and effectively protect its members against threats to aerodromes, airspace and ratings, so I've no doubt that it will respond to this threat now that the Department for Transport has drawn attention to it.

Few UK pilots are eligible for full legal aid, so the CAA counts on few of its accusations being defended. Of charges that are tried, the CAA loses more than half according to its own figures.

AOPA USA offers affordable optional insurance for legal expenses to defend civil and criminal cases, and I'm sure that most of the British flying associations will be considering something similar now that the Genie is out of the bottle.

Altho' no doubt you might be about to tell me differently, I can't remember the last time I read anything in the aviation press about the efforts of AOPA in connection with anything.

As for affordable insurance indemnities to pay defence legal expenses, I made an enquiry to my insurers Traffords. They replied that at the moment there is nothing in place to cover the eventuality I described but, they will make enquiries and contact me.

I think that's a fair point; apart from AOPA's pit-bull like struggle to retain the IMC rating when the CAA had all but given in to EASA, we don't hear nearly enough from them. However,

(a) much of what the association does for individual GA pilots, aircraft owners and aerodrome operators is of a somewhat private nature and
(b) like any membership organisation they reflect their members' (i.e. our) views/wishes/apathy.

Please let us know what Traffords say, but in general legal expenses insurance is most affordable when offered by an association representing a trade or special interest group. A good place to start might be to ask the BASC or the National Gamekeepers' Association who underwrites their civil and criminal legal expenses insurance. As an occasional expert witness I have seen the effect of such insurance-funded legal representation in preventing injustice.

I went back to Traffords to-day for an update on my enquiry. They said that they still have the matter in hand, commenting that in anything to do with insurance the 'wheels grind exceedingly slowly'.

Unless of course you're payng your premium !

Courtesy of AOPA I already have that insurance :O

Why don't you provide details for the benefit of the forum ?