Not quite correct. In the air carrier world whether pt 121 or 135, the FAA has to approve almost any part of the operation. Want to change a procedure or checklist, the FAA POI for that company has to approve. Want to move physical location, hire new management personnel (chief pilot, director of operations, director of maintenance, etc), make changes to operations manuals, all have to be approved. I could go on and on, on things the FAA has to approve in air carrier ops. Pt 91 is another thing entirely. Not as much regulation as air carrier ops. I do agree about the “safety culture” comment. If the FAA wants to increase coverage of SMS, why does the FAA not operate with a SMS themselves?