There seems to be a Pavlovian reflex amongst pilots to knock the CAA. OK, I have to declare an interest - I worked there in the dim and distant past. However, I have been dealing with them professionally for a very long time and there are some intensely proficient and aviation minded people across all the departments. The fact that they occasionally have to say no to us is because they are regulators and what may seem unfair or obtuse to the individual is different when viewed in the big scheme of things. Agreed there are some idiots in Aviation House, but that's true of any large organisation - it's one of those immutable rules of life. The majority are actually on our side big time. If you want an example of how bad regulation can be, look across the Channel.
