Hi,
Sammy - thanks for the info. I was aware of previous schemes from Britannia which are max of 30 hours. Like you said - no harm in starting the PPL!
And Scroggs, the lack of schemes at the moment is precisely why I need to be the right candidate, for when they finally open up! And if not, the RAF don't oppose to have flying time or PPL for pilot recruits, do they?
Anyhoo, thanks all for the info, very helpful, and it seems my parents (by parents I mean only my dad, not my mum) seem to be warming to the idea of the PPL!
Thanks very much everybody!
John.