Cactus has hit the nail on the head. With the UK v's US debate.
I am sure that poeple can pull examples of a hat of pilots coming back doing a 1 hour check out then fying quite happly around the highlands ( or they think they are happy and safe)
I personally did my PPL and hour building in FL then my FI in the UK. And then worked in the highlands instructing.
And apart from the scottish wx there are many factors which are completly different from the US and could potentially be rather fatal if not considered.
1. Lack of fuel and landing places.
As all that have flown in the US know basically from 4000ft you can glide to an airport pretty much from any where in FL apart from the Everglades and as it seems common practise over there if you can't get to an airport you stick it onto the nearest highway you can see. Scotland it can be over 100 miles to the nearest airport and its not garanteed there will be avgas there.
2. Radar cover
You can get a service down to 1000ft anywhere in FL. Over the highlands you will be lucky to get anything below FL70. And with large areas you will be in radio shadow from contacting anyone including 121 with the only chance of help is a relay using the transatlantic traffic going 10W.
3. RT completly different and intially a serious increase in work load. And you will be a complete pain in the arse to all other pilots and ATC until you get with the readbacks and start using rodger and wilco when required instead of reading the whole bloody lot back or not reading back the correct things.
4. UK MIL are a law unto themselves and use different phrasing and may try to control you into IMC.
5. Highland Training area brillant country to fly in but unlike the US guys who think its hard to fly around at 2000ft at 500knts the RAF do it at less than 250ft and if you are trying to use a Glen you can end up with a helicopter going one way you going the other, A FRA falcon trying to dodge the helicopter all with 2 tonkas blasting through under you and a cloud base below the mountain tops. And if you are getting a FIS off scottish them not having a clue they are there. BUt saying that the is something nice about watching 3 hercs flying up Lochness with wakes in the water behined them.
6. Navigation. GPS is not reliable due to various war games and topography. Very easy to end up getting the wrong glen and learn why they teach you performance turns when the ground starts climbing faster than you.
If you want to mountain fly in France or swiss you do a 10-15 hour high intensity course. You wouldn't need that long to cover yourself in Scotland but if you learn up here you will have covered all thats required to safely fly in the area you want to fly in.
And it may be cheap but FL is boring as hell to fly around. If i had my time again it would be PPL in the UK or New Zealand. At least you will get people with a sense of humour, no gun waving redneck pricks in uniforms annoying you, decent pubs and decent beer. And if you go to the FL in the summer its 35 deg's, humid as hell, you are dripping with sweat before you even get the engine started and there bloody love bugs everywhere.
MJ
PS if Euan has moved it may be worth checking out that school as well. Its the instructor that counts not the school as such. And if you are going to sit next to someone for 25hours plus its worth and extra 200-300 quid to get someone you get on with.