Hi Maxred,
Please don't get me wrong, my current aircraft is N-Reg, I have previously owned G-Reg so have seen both sides of the coin. I agree about the FAA being paperwork intensive. However I have also seen that in Europe the FAA are stretched very thinly and routine inspections on maintenance standards are infrequent. That is why I feel the system is more open to abuse.
I have on my desk evidence of two annuals that have been completed by an FAA engineer when he was 2000 miles from the actual aircraft. That has taken many months to get taken up by the FAA. The matter has been passed from desk to desk at the FAA.
With regards the ramp inspections now, I do suspect that the Olympics and the UK authorities need to know about ownership and operation of various GA aircraft on the N-Register is paramount as part of the security risk assessment.
Interestingly enough I wonder how many N-Reg operators have realised the procedures in place and the need for specific permits from the DTI during the Olympic period. Speaking to the person who issues the permits two weeks ago was interesting, he commented on how very few people had applied and how without the special permit operation during the Olympic period for certain types of operation it would effectively ground aircraft.