SASless
I agree with you, I never said that passing the written was the only knowledge you needed in order to get your licence, I was just refering to the AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE, most of it useless, which is needed in order to get a JAA licence, at least in France.
Plus everything is much easier in the states (vs France): with a sign-off, you can just walk in any testing facility and bingo, you have the written behind you. In my country, you have an exam date every 2 months, and before to go in any CPL school you must go through an evaluation, based on geometry and maths, not that difficult, but still another hurdle for some. Plus the cost of the medical around 400$, etc...
At the end, I much prefer the FAA, more practical and down to earth, and CHEAPER...
Visa for us non American, is the main problem, not the training itself!