PPL UK or USA
Plane Crazy,
The following is a copy of a post I wrote for the benefit of Bakoo, you too may find it helpful.
Bakoo,
I note that some people have suggested you should do your PPL in the UK. I disagree: I would say don't. Go to the US. You will not need to get your FAA PPL exchanged for a UK one at all. You can fly perfectly legally in the UK on an FAA PPL indefinitely, because both the UK and the USA are ICAO countries, (ICAO means International Commercial Aviation Organisation, a body set up by the UN to regulate commercial aviation internationally). ICAO countries automatically recognise one another's PPL licences. You only need the licence of the country in which you intend to fly if your intend becoming a professional pilot. Even then, you can go direct from your FAA PPL straight to a JAA ATPL, without having to get a JAA PPL.
I have just revalidated my British PPL in the UK after many years of being 'expired'. I had thought it would cost no more than £4,000 and take a couple of months. In fact, despite being available to fly full time, despite having all the money required on tap and despite being based in the relatively much drier South of England, it still took 20 months and cost in excess of £7,000!
Admittedly, some of this was due to poor instructors: I walked out of two clubs last summer and had to start all over again at a new club each time.
By far the worst obstacle, however, was UK weather. At least two thirds of my bookings were cancelled from that cause alone. In 2004, between July and December I booked a whole week's flying six times and cancelled it all, one day at a time; and that was in 'dry' Central Southern England, Northern weather was much worse!
My advice would be to go to the US, where you will have an FAA PPL licence within six weeks. (It doesn't matter which country issues the PPL as long as it is an ICAO country, and the USA is an ICAO country). Then at least, you will have a valid licence 'in the bag'. It won't be a holiday; it will be damned hard work, but enjoyable and worthwhile.
You should then be prepared to put in a further several hours at a British club on your return before being allowed to exercise the privileges of your licence. You will need this to learn to cope with UK weather and our extra complex airspace and busy radio. It sounds convoluted, but will be very much quicker and cheaper in the long run.
If you must train at a UK club or FTO, I would say do it in the Winter. The weather between October and March is much more stable and it is easier to control a light aeroplane without being thrown about by thermal activity. You will also have much less flying cancelled owing to bad weather.
Forgive me mentioning this, but since your training budget is so tight, are you sure you are going to have enough money available to keep yourself 'current' after your return. Don't answer this question on this thread; just recognise that this will be an issue to which you need to have an answer that satisfies you.
Good luck: I hope you are successful.
Broomstick.