If it wasn't for the USA I would never have learnt to fly an aeroplane and gained my PPL. I spent £3.5k when I was learning and got my license in 4 weeks. If I had tried to learn in the UK I would have been constantly slowed down by the weather and would have probably spent £10k+, getting out of it a very similar license and a lot less experience.
I learnt to fly in Pennsylvania, not reknowned for it's good weather. I learnt to cope with haze, rain, high temperature and humidity, thunderstorms, things that I would likely not encountered in the UK. I also flew in and out of Lancaster airport, a proper tower controlled field visited frequently by commercial traffic and a lot of GA. During my cross country flights I got practice at landing on loads of very short and narrow farm strips as well as full blown commercial airports, in amongst the Boeings and Airbus's. I learnt to fly close to restricted airspace above New York and Washington and was able to be under constant air traffic control. Since there were no landing fees to worry about I could practice as many landings as I wanted, often being signed off by my instructor to go and fly the pattern for the afternoon, practicing varying techniques on the two tarmac runways at Lancaster. When I got my license I then got to fly into Philadelphia International, albeit with a friend and experienced pilot next to me. Personally I think that I now have more experience in my 50 hours logged than if I'd flown at the weekends in and out of a grass strip in the UK. Oh, and I've got a lot more money left in my back pocket for my next flying trip.
When the fuel tax in the UK is cut and landing fees are abolished then maybe, just maybe I'll consider flying here on a reguar basis.