Nags teeth!
Thought i would offer my advice to pile! hour building was for me one of my best experiences of flying yet! I just returned from my last hour building session (well 2 months ago) which was in new zealand. i spent the winter there (june- october) flying out of wanaka in c172's and 177's and found the experience unbelievable. there is nothing like an early morning flight around mt aspiring (10,000 ft) or flying to queenstown for lunch through the mountains. also the cost there are pretty cheap, i think i paid about $120 nz per hour in the 172, and the staff and airfield were excellent. check them out at
www.nz-flights.com
very relaxed flying, great views and very different attitude from the uk.
Before that i was in melbourne, australia with the royal victoria aero club, who are another great outfit. they have one of the most extensive fleets i have seen and offered me one of the 150's for about £40 an hour block time. there were very helpful and i got my retract cert there in a turbo arrow (an experience on its own) check them at
www.rvac.com.au
Again i would recomend them, all the instructors were great, spots to go are amazing from dirt strips to moorabin (where they are based) which is one of the busiest GA fields in the southern hemi. parrallel runways, busy airspace and challenging conditions from hot and humid weather to crazy wind changes.
prior to that i did some flying with calgary flying club who were also excellent, so i would recomend them too.
my view was to enjoy the flying, get as much experience as possible and use the time before further training wisely! and i dont just mean experience, but do some other activities that you enjoy before committing to a life of work! I was snowboarding and surfing in my spare time, as well as working like a slave to pay for it all.
hope this helps. most of all enjoy.
cheers..
ps. any questions drop me a line..