If I understand your argument correctly you have suffered the same grievances that most if not all of us ‘wannabe’pilots have suffered with our so called aviation authority. . .We are in an age were we will no longer tolerate the ‘old boys network’ mentality and yet we continually have to deal with it. . .This crosses the entire spectrum of the aviation population from aircrew to engineers. As an ex engineer (from an extremely safety conscious industry) I have been reading with interest the Engineers and Technicians forum and have found that they, like the rest of us they are suffering the ineptitude of the CAA and JAR. I have never experienced the ‘technical’ aviation trade but get a distinct feeling that the CAA under JAR are making a definite backward steps in attitude in comparison to maintenance and safety in other forward thinking sectors.. .Yes. Someone needs to make a stand. Yes someone needs to put there foot down but all the time we are regulated by and unregulated authority we are all at the hands of the CAA and it’s infamous little black book.. .Feel free to e-mail me if you believe that I can be of any assistance to you, I strongly believe that it is time for the CAA to be regulated in matters were they have little knowlage and also in areas where many feel the ‘old boys network’ is prevelant