I glanced at this thread since it had recent posts and it was one that interested me having known Mark and all the family as friends for decades. I re-read my own post and would not have altered any part of it. The regulatory situation in the UK as set out in the ANO and CAP403 is admired by every country I have flown in and was the basis for the JAR-22 leaflet giving guidance to the JAA countries on airshow regulation. The CAA does inspect a proportion of displays in the UK each year and standards are generally high however if transgressions occur then looking the other way is not an acceptable option though some might think so.
And yes, in my 46 years as an airshow pilot and over 2,300 public display slots I have screwed up from time to time and I have had my fair share of bollockings. All, or very nearly all, richly deserved.
In my 14 years with the CAA the previous experience I had in GA and particularly in the airshow world proved invaluable. After all, they headhunted me into the CAA to be an effective gamekeeper having been a fair poacher for 30 years before that.
Cheers,
Trapper 69