I have recently completed my JAA PPL in Florida, and did 25hrs extra hr building and 3 hrs extra in a warrior, and I have to say I had an absolute blast. I took 6 weeks off work ( whole years holiday saved up) and went over to do my PPL and 50 hrs extra time building. The key to it is BE FLEXIBLE, the 21 day PPL is do-able, but why put yourself in a tight situation?? most schools will advise you to take more time if you cam, and it took me 3 weeks and 6 days to do mine, which INCLUDED a night rating, all the ground exams and the R/T oral. Yes, the groundschool was hard work, but a bit of prior learning meant that I could concentate on the most difficult subjects ( met, nav and performance) to self learn while actually putting them into practice, so again it all comes down to being able to apply common sense and not try to do everything at once on a mega tight timescale. The instructor I had was superb, building up quickly but safely, and I was doing my own landings after 4 hrs
, and gradually increased the pace by letting me do comms/ nav etc, and I felt it all fell into place nicely and sensibly. I solo'd after 12 hrs, and felt utterly safe doing so, which says a lot about the quality of instruction I recived.
If there is one thing I personally would reccomend you do, it is to ensure you do some real spins, not just talk about them, as it shows you just how fast things can get serious if you are flying at a poor AoA or not fying co-ordinated. The first entry will make you pie-eye'd, and it certainly makes you have an appreciation on why aircraft performance and airspeed is so critical
, and practicing recoverys will give you a lot of confidence in your ability to safly handle the aircraft.
On the subject of Radios/ airspace etc, I am personally going to have a few more hours of instruction in the uk, as it is only sensible and to be honest its still hours in the log-book, and you never stop learning
, If you pick a good us school you have NOTHING to worry about, don't let the witch-hunters put you off, and remember you will have a scream as the USA loves its aviation
If you want any help or advice drop me a PM and I will gladly answer any questions you have