OK, guy's.
So here's the "curverd ball question" I think that in the US you can fly within 15 feet or so of the ground in a "machine" without the need for a pilots licence or aircraft certification, I think the same applies here in the UK with a 4 foot limit. So you could do all of your hover training at home in you back garden - in fact without an instructor!!! So to stretch this a bit further, if you were doing practice landings at home with an instructor, then when you got to 4 foot, you are no longer in a flying machine so could almost do what you want... i.e land off airfield. Not that I advocate this mind you, but sometimes its good fun to "think out of the box" so to speak...
At this point I'll get my coat...
Kevin.