Hi Birdlady,
First of all, why the US specifically? There are a few very good JAR-approved schools in the US where you can do your CPL, so if you want US flying (and I highly recommend it) then the CPL is the ideal time. For hours-building, I would go somewhere else, just so that when you go to the US for the CPL it's somewhere new and different, and you have as much variety of different flying environments as possible.
I think, from your profile and past posts, that you've already done lots of flying South Africa, yes? In which case why not try Europe, or Canada, or Australia for hour-building? As CZ says, you do not need a JAR-approved school, so you can go just about anywhere you like.
If you still decide to go to the US, then I recommend Chandler Air Service (
www.aerobatics.com, although their website seems to be down at the moment - I hope that's only a temporary thing and doesn't mean that the school has closed down or anything?) in Phoenix, Arizona. This is where I did my hour-building (contrary to my own advice!) Some very good instructors, a wide range of aircraft, some fabulous scenery, and lots of interesting places within flying distance (Grand Canyon, Tucson, Sedona, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Fransisco.....) Also, you'll find that Arizona is a very different place to Florida (where many of the JAA schools are), so if you do your CPL in Florida you'll still get many of the benefits of the varied flying experiences.
FFF
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