Chev
You can only fly with a Permit in place. The usual procedure is to get a Permit to Test as a first step, usually following restoration or importation. A Permit to Test is also needed if an aircraft has had a Permit to Fly expired for more than 12 months. If 558's Permit has run out, they need another one. It will not get air under its wheels any other way, except on jacks in the hangar.
No matter how much fuss there is, the CAA will not let the aircraft fly until they are satisfied. They have only their own regulations to satisfy, commercial interests and public feeling do not enter into the equation.
Trust me, I know.........
