Grant Shapps's N Reg

[charliegolf]

Only out of interest, what possible benefits are there for someone who can afford aeroplane ownership in the first place, to buy and operate an N reg rather than G reg? Cheers.

CG

[Jim59]

Are there related pilot licensing benefits if flying on an FAA licence - such as, perhaps, getting an IR?

[ChickenHouse]

Easier maintenance, the FAA IR, cheaper insurance, bigger market with much better prices, friendlier administration, trust protection ... you need more?

[cessnapete]

As above, and avoid the shambles that have become the EASA pilot licensing.

[wiggy]

https://www.politico.eu/article/grant-schapps-uk-transport-secretary-registered-his-private-plane-under-weaker-us-rules/

[A and C]

What can I say ? My FAA licence is credit card sized piece of plastic............... my EASA licence is a multi page book that runs forever. Backed by a huge set of regulations that are so complicated that I am never quite sure if everything is in order.

It reflects EASA , over complicated, expensive and not very good at what it is intended to do.

[eckhard]

I wonder how many Americans choose to register their aircraft under an EASA jurisdiction? No; thought not.

[OwnNav]

We need a "like" button ..

[wiggy]

A and C, eckhard..

You may well be right as to the practicalities, I don't follow GA that closely but am well aware of the controversy ( to put it mildly) about the Sala accident.

I'm aware that the following points were raised by opposition politicians, but nevertheless IMHO they are valid observations:

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, the party's transport spokesperson, said, “The transport secretary must make public the justification for registering his plane in the U.S. versus the U.K. The registration throws up a multitude of concerns and begs the question why anyone should register their vehicle in the U.K. if it’s not good enough for the government.”

Labour MP Grahame Morris, who sits on the parliament's transport committee, also raised similar concerns. “Mr. Shapps should not set the rules for the U.K. to then opt out of the requirements by registering his own private plane under the light-touch regulatory regime of the U.S.," he said.

[OwnNav]

US Register
The number of aircraft in the United States has been steadily increasing, with 2019 estimates holding that the general aviation fleet was 212,335 aircraft, and the for-hire carrier fleet was 7,628 aircraft.

UK -EASA
https://www.caa.co.uk/uploadedFiles/CAA/Content/Standard_Content/Data_and_analysis/Datasets/Aircraft_register/EASA/2020%20EASA%20category%20and%20Aircraft%20Class.pdf

USA are pro aviation.

[ChickenHouse]

We need a "like" button ..
Exactly that was my thought too :).

wiggy : The Sala incident is a sad example of outcomes/consequences from our rotten European system of starting goody two shoes heads up in the clouds in politics and executing by lickspittle undereducated low brain no idea of the matter clerks. The FAA system was and is absolutely clear and built on practical thinking and is built so an IQ=80 redneck FAA airmen is able to understand exactly this is forbidden. The EASA system was and is unnecessarily absolutely beyond-complex and is built so nobody will ever able to understand it and the authorities get a grip by the fear of and on pilots.

FAA vs EASA - they fly, we obey ;).

[Fl1ingfrog]

I don't follow GA that closely but am well aware of the controversy ( to put it mildly) about the Sala accident.

If that is a reference to the FAA regulations then it is way off the mark. The aircraft servicing had been carried out and signed off in the UK by a british engineer. It had been turned away by another perhaps more scrupulous FAA approved engineer because so much was wrong with the aeroplane. The aircraft was then flown by a british PPL operating well beyond his qualifications, experience and skill. It seems that neither the aeroplane nor the pilot were approved by the FAA to undertake such flights.

[ChickenHouse]

It seems that neither the aeroplane nor the pilot were approved by the FAA to undertake such flights.
For sure, but the EASA system weakens that statement - FAA ist far - and a lot of trouble raises from there. How many operator ignore the fact the Munich Share Model is dead and finally illegal? I expect the CAA getting much closer to the FAA regulations once they have left EASA.

[A and C]

Wiggy

Both the Labour and Lib-Dem MP’s in theory make a good point but Mr Shapps would have years of work and have to devote his whole attention to sorting out the mess that EASA is. Fundamentally it is a set of rules invented by too many officials that each have to include their own hobby horse without any regard to practical safety issues.

The attempt to ban the UK IMC rating and the introduction of the IR/R is a typical example of EASA politics over safety.

[PlusNet]

US Register
USA are pro aviation.
Considered for the 'toffs' only in the UK.

[this is my username]

To answer the OP:

It's much easier to keep an FAA licence and IR current than an EASA one. Once the licence has been issued then you will never need to see an Examiner again, even if it "lapses" - a flight with an instructor is all that is required (a flight review for the licence and an Instrument Proficiency Check for the IR).

Maintenance is much more straightforward (no 50hr checks, you only need 100hr checks if you are operating for reward, engine and prop life are at the discretion of the maintainer).

To be honest I think it tells you everything you need to know about our regulatory system that the government minister responsible for it flies under a flag of convenience to avoid it.

[Aneas]

Once one gets a FAA license, life becomes easy.
But I found the initial issue a bit of a hassle due to lack of examiners.
Perhaps there are more now as this was the 1980's

[Maoraigh1]

It amazes me that he didn't mothball the aircraft immediately he knew he was to be minister, and rent for the duration of his tenure.

[SoFarFromHome]

How long can you fly and operate an N reg aircraft in the UK though?

I was under the impression there is a limit and you need special permission to extend it. I can't find the actual rule however as you say, it's all bloody difficult to comprehend.

I have an FAA ATP, I want to enjoy an N reg aircraft in the UK, apparently its not as easy as it should be.

[avionimc]

Another way to look at it is to compare airspace maps of Eastern U.S. and Europe (say, Boston to Atlanta vs. London - Paris - Frankfurt - Zurich). The airspace design convolution in Europe speaks mountains.

No wonder there a fewer private pilots and fewer GA airplanes in Europe.