Dom175, you did read the sticky I wrote, didn't you? It's one of the first threads within Private Flying. Also, yes, you definitely do need a visa. Details here:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/visa_1750.html
Only if your study is less than 18 hours a week (hardly likely when doing an intensive flight training course, unless you only count the actual hours in the air) then you might not need a visa.
It is much cheaper to have your dabs taken in the us. the best places are generally the tsa offices at the airports. there are then no extra fees and most i believe transmit them electronically for approval which is quick. in my case two days. So yiu have that long to get over the jet lag before your training starts.
On The Spot, I've never heard of this but this is very good news. Do you have any more information, references etc? If so, can you add that information to the sticky thread about JAA PPL in the US, please?