Back in 96 to 98 I flew 42 hours on the RAF Vigilant (Grob 109) Motor Glider as a staff cadet. Then in Nov last year I went to Anglo-American in San Diego and got my JAA PPL in 46 hours. I can say that having had an RAF CFS Standardisation check and a JAA check ride the standards are as high as that. My instructors were all Brits and knew what they were doing.
Flying in the USA at a good school will open your eyes as to how GA should be. E.G. how does £50 an hour wet rate sound for a good PA28 161? No landing fees or approach fees unless it's LAX (Yes the 4 runway one in Los Angeles). Or £100 p/h wet for the duchess twin?
E.g. As I was also doing my night rating (no cost option) I flew up under the hood from Gillespie to Hawthorn field (2 miles from LAX) and shot an ILS in Class Bravo airspace, had dinner then flew back at night using VFR flight following (similar to RAS). Now the thing was, I only had 6 hours at the time. Can you really do that here in Blighty? Or the time I flew to Thermal near Palm Springs and was in circuit with Gulf Stream 5's
As for the "British is Best" attitude that still afflicts us, I think it will kill off affordable flight training here. I mean we don't even have pilot controlled runway lighting. If you turn up at a closed airfield at night you listen to the ATIS, AWOS or ASOS which even the smallest airfields have, tune into the local Common Traffic Advisory Frequency and self announce your intentions then key the mike 7 times quickly to turn on the lights yourself and land. It's all up to you.
Anyone who wants to do a PPL and can spare the time and is willing to work hard - sort the visa and book the flight to the USA. I want to live there full time!