The biggest problem with flying these old aircraft in the UK is the CAA attitude to letting people pay for flights.
The CAA regard all passenger flights as "public transport" and so are not permmited this has the effect of making it very hard for opperators of these types to cover there costs with displays and film work.
The big problem is the buy a t-shirt and get a flight brigade , this is clearly a way of getting around the law and leads to this type of flying not being properly regulated.
It is leagal to charge for pleasure flights in permit aircraft in some parts of the EEC and so some of the more reputable opperators are trying to change the law.
Some parts of the CAA would like to see the law changed so that the practice can be properly regulated but the leagal department seems reluctant to change things.
I know one warbird company that is of the opinion that if pleasure flights became leagal there financial problems would cease overnight.
The question that I have to ask the CAA is do they think that it is better to have a warbird industry running on a shoestring with some opperators by-passing the law or to permit a "sub-public transport" passenger flying so that the industry can properly finance its self and the CAA can then be in a position to properly regulate such flying.