Quite agree with 'Floppyjock', at the end of the the CAA want your beer tokens and if you are spending them in the US then they are not happy!!! A friend and myself are ditching the JAA system to go FAA as its too expensive otherwise - the idea being to join an N Reg group back in the UK.
As for is it inferior? Talking to instructors over in CA, the IR rating is the hardest rating to accomplish over there - so I dont think its exactly a piece of cake!
If tha CAA are so desperate to get their hands on our money then they might want to start by making it a bit less expensive and also cut some of the red tape on keeping current. A few more of us would be encourged to stay in the good old UK then.
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Live fast..dies young...leave a good looking corpse!