Originally Posted by Bahn-Jeaux
More pertinent is the fact that the RT is different in the UK.
Weather is different too so a newly minted US PPL coming back having flown in near perfect conditions dai;y, then encounters the good old british weather and more complex RT, ....
More complex RT? Have a listen to this
http://www.scansandiego.net/Scanner/...andiego_s2.pls
That live feed is from SoCal approach (and other local frequencies), primarily for the heavies however VFR traffic can use this service and infact towards the end of my students course I encourage them to use SoCal for radar services. If you can use the RT in Southern California then you'll be good to go anywhere in the UK. Transitioning Class D or Bravo is no different. Infact I feel much safer speaking to professionals rather than some old fart in an air-to-ground shed.
I admit this time of year in SoCal is pretty much sky clear, however Florida will give you nasty surprises in the mid afternoon. During the winter time around San Diego will give you Wx to play around with if that's what you want.
Regarding the quality of instruction........
You get good and bad everywhere. I personally won't hand off a JAA PPL (or sign off an FAA PPL) to an examiner unless he/she is ready to pass the checkride first time. If he/she fails then I've failed in my job and the best feeling is when the examiner congratulates you on producing a competant and proficient pilot.
Also if you choose to goto to yanksville, I'd budget and allow for 4 weeks. From my experience, its a squeeze to get done in 3 weeks and can be quite stressful if the Wx or A/C service don't go your way. Good luck