wbryce,
I think the problem was that im not/never have been a customer of hsbc or barclays. When i phoned initially, they were quite happy to give me an appointment for the PSL but when they found out what it was for, they cancelled it! I can easily get a 'normal' loan but I would have prefered the PSL because of the deferred payments. I already have an application for the Royal Bank of Scotland Career Loan, so we'll see what that brings. If worsed comes to worse, I can always remortgage.
Good luck trying the gliding clubs, its a hit or a miss whether theyre looking for tuggies or not. Most prefer some gliding experience but if theyre suddenly short of people to fill a rota then they'll take folk without. Even if you just join the club and show some interest, you'll almost certainly get to fly the tug after a wee while. It's certainly worth it considering the amount of free time you'll get. Be prepaired to travel aswell, a round trip of 200 miles(few bob on petrol) isnt too much hassle if your getting 3-5 hours of free flying out of it. Good luck!
p.s. where are your local clubs??