I don't particularly disagree with bose-x - however -
The FAA IR is a reasonable stepping stone to the JAA IR, should one be forced to the do the JAA IR one day.
This is because it sidesteps all the flight training requirements (except in the UK, where the CAA requires 15 hrs min) and in the UK it sidesteps the mandatory school attendance; you "just" sit the exams. I have references for this, if anybody wants them, email me.
I would still do the FAA IR today - with the FAA
CPL also because that makes you a "professional pilot" and in the grand scheme of going to the USA for the PPL/IR it isn't much extra work.
Until last December an FAA CPL/ATPL with the FAA Class 1 medical also got you into the JAA Class 1 medical stream using the renewal privileges, but the CAA medical dept pulled that concession within weeks of it being mentioned here on pprune...
Make sure the N-reg plane doesn't have anything on it that clearly precludes it going on G-reg.
Then you have
immediate worldwide IFR privileges and these will last as long as EASA is unable to get a grip on one of its hottest political potatoes. Certainly good for years. Then there will be other options, all nicely ICAO compliant, which I won't talk about here
This aviation game is a big paper chase. You chase for the PPL to get VFR privileges, and then you need a matching aircraft reg. You chase for the IR to get IFR privileges, and then you need a matching aircraft reg. You chase after medicals, you name it.... it never ends. Then you chase after paperwork for this or that panel mounted GPS, and it has to be right for the aircraft reg. The FAA route is a perfectly reasonable route through this mess and far more straightforward than JAA/EASA. That's why most IR pilots have gone FAA - these are high-budget highly motivated people and they have worked it out.
Bose-x - what is the timetable for
JAA ratification of such a
CAA proposal, and how is it affected by EASA taking over FCL in 2008?