US pilots tend to be more defensive, because when they return to the UK, many UK instructors look down their nose at them. On my first ever checkout on my return to the UK with my shiny new PPL, on the taxy out to the runway the instructor asked me where I learned to fly. When I said "America" he said "oh, we don't like those here". Funnily enough, after the 1 hour checkout (Bournemouth) we landed and he said "you flew very well", signed me off and off I went flying the clubs warriors all over the place. Still p*ssed me off though.
From my perspective I gained a lot of experience during my "intensive" $5000 PPL course which took about 5 weeks - noth that I knew it at the time, I thought is was normal. I flew to Big Bear in the mountains at about 7000' (my choice to go to these places) , flew through mountain passes, learned how to lean properly, landed at Catalina Island several times, flew into major international aiports, became familar with special procedures like land and hold short operations, and was totally comfortable with RT from day 7 or so (you had to be). This is one of the "complaints" by UK instructors, that RT is so different. This is not the case and in fact I'd go so far as to say that on my return I found the RT a piece of P*ss - if anything it is easier over here as ATCOs are more precise in their terminology. There was always a 10kt cross wind in the afternoons which at first I used to dread, but you have to learn to deal with them.
True, I never landed at a small grass strip in America, but did land at some fairly short airfields. Landing on grass is no different really, and I did it on my 1 hour checkout with the instructor. He was happy, and so was I and since then I have landed on many grass strips.
It is also not correct to assumer the US has better weather. I was over in California in early march, and despite being instrument rated was pretty much grounded due to overcast and icing levels (isolated severe icing) at 4000' and orthographic thunderstorms hugging the mountains. Even the desert areas, although they can have 100 miles of vis, I have been out there during frightening weather. It is not often you get thunderstorms towering up to 50,000' in the UK, and it can be very lonely when you are surrounded by mars-like terrain. I met a couple of brits over there one summer who were planning to take an Archer III, with 3 POB and luggage into Big Bear in the middle of a summers day. Had they been allowed to get on with it, that would have been the last of them.
I have no problem with people learning to fly wherever they want and don't slag off british trained pilots. I did it in the USA for a bit of an adventure holiday in 2000, and loved it so much went back and gained my instrument rating in 2001, my SE/ME commercial in 2003, and yet own an aeroplane kept at a small unlicenced field in the UK. I don't have a problem with long spells away from home, I do it for a job anyway, and my Mrs came out with me for much of it and we had a great laugh. We go back at least twice per year and rent something nice and new (brand new DA40 G1000 in March for $140 per hour) to play with. The nice thing is that as regulars, we don't need constant checkouts to be allowed to take these machines away, and if we do require the 3 T/O and L/D for insurance purposes, the instructors just jump in and do it for free.
Hopefully later this year it'll be the TwinStars, then I really will feel happy flying in the mountains
