One thing is for sure....flying helicopters in the UK has no shortage of Rules, Regulations, Policies, and COSTS.
Combine that with plenty of bureaucracy, jobsworths, and overlapping jurisdictions....all with self centered agenda's and it gets very complicated quickly.
It starts with the mentality of you must have express permission to do something or you cannot do it.
Compare that to the American mentality of unless it is expressly prohibited it can be done.
We have had many conversations about the differences in the past.
One thing for sure....the CAA sure does not like competition for their Fee's and Charges.