Flying in Europe
Catyaak
Wow, that's some serious anti-European sh*t there. Have to object to you lumping UK and the rest of Europe together in your diatribe, especially the comments regarding ATC. I fly commercially in the US now, but in a previous life I was an air traffic controller in the UK in the military (RAF). It's a shame you don't experience the military ATC system over there which is equally open to civilian AT.. Just ask a UK based (yes, we have USAF bases) F15-E, KC-135 or C-21 driver which ATC system he prefers, hands down it's the UK. Complete tactical freedom to fly pretty much anywhere you want at any altitude, no flight plan required, no VR/IR routes, just basically the entire country available for low flying.. We had our own center controllers who picked you up/dropped you off for low-level and wherever possible let you fly home in a straight line at your preferred altitude, vectoring you around commercial AT, doesn't happen over here. The center controllers here are excellent without a doubt, but it's mainly US carriers that fly in the US, try mixing it with with Air Slovakia, Aeroflot, Air France and the myriad of small European countries each with soveriegn airspace and a national carrier, it's no fun.
In the UK there's 2 types of airline pilots, the ones who came up in the system, the Nigel's of BA if you like, those are the ones who talk about their Command's etc. Then there are the guys who flew Harriers, Tornado's, Jaguars etc in the RAF for 20 years, my advice to you is if you come across the latter in a bar somewhere in England, don't fu*ck with them unless you enjoy wearing your pint and eating your words.