Kitkat
Can't agree with you fully.
Yes there are some differences that are basic. Learning to fly in the US gives you a great deal of basic consistent training. I have flown with a number of people that have done the same and suggest that a more round number is 2-3 hours of differences training. A pilot who knows how to fly and can pass a JAA Skill test can adjust quite easily to a couple of changes in pattern work.
Sometimes I think that some FI's make a greater deal of it because they disagree with training outside the UK. I know of one pilot that went into Elstree and said that he got his PPL in the US and wanted to rent a plane. The FI threw his licence back at him and said "Well that's 15 hours of dual then".
He went to another school and completed 3 hours 10 mins of dual before they let him lose - and that was his choice for more as he wanted to get comfortable with the local are.
[ 02 February 2002: Message edited by: Facts Not Fiction Pls ]</p>