'pilots trained in the US tend not to get a grasp on strong crosswind landings'
yeah ofcourse its little known meteorological fact but theres no wind in the USA !
In terms of pure hour building then i think the US is a must certainly compareed to Europe (not sure about OZ or SA), purely because of the cost. For block hours you can get a 172 for $70 and a 152 for just over $50, convert that into pounds and you'll see why im saying that. Oh and you u dont need a visa or have to deal with the TSA for hour bulding either.
beast