In article , G Farris wrote:
French pilots. If you exclude airline pilots, the percentage of IR rated PPL's
in France is anecdotal.

And that is the thing that IS dunderheaded - is the JAA requirements for
an IR which makes it prohibitive for a typical private pilot. The UK has
a workaround (the IMC rating).

Fortunately, I read there are some voices of sanity in the European
authorities - EASA have said they want to reduce the regulatory burden
and want to see GA as 'vibrant as it is in the US'. It remains to be
seen whether that's just talk though. On the opposite end we have the
airlines convincing our CAA that they are subsidising GA - they do this
by only taking into accout cheques that GA people write to the CAA, and
totally ignore fuel taxes. GA pays fuel duty and VAT. Airlines do not
pay any fuel tax at all - certainly not VAT (which even Jet-A burning GA
pilots have to pay).

One final irony - The progression of European regulation seems to continue
the practice of "pay-per-use". Landing fees, airway fees and fuel surtaxes pay
for the system which, in the US, is subsidized from the general fund. This
really makes the US system more "socialist", as all of the people have to pay
for services used by 0.27% of the population.

And that's what always got me about the way many US conservatives argue
the issue. Now I think the US system *is* the best; 'user pays per use'
is woefully inefficient when the fuel duty quite handsomely pays
already. However, I always get a chuckle when US Republican supporters
argue how healthcare shouldn't be subsidised, but argue vigorously that
their airport and GA activities should have Federal subsidy.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"