Aussie Andy, just a little extra point to add to the good advice you have already had. Many countries have different Visual Flight Rules, so if you plan to fly outside the UK, like pulse1, do check what they are elsewhere. I don't know what they are in France, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are different to the UK. Just for interest, in South Africa, a VFR flight may not be made above more than 3/8 cloud within a radius of 5nm of the aircraft. Seems a good idea, but not very helpful when you get a forecast of SCT!!!!! The differences between countries can be huge. For example, in the UK you need 10km vizibility for SVFR, in South Africa only 1.5km - much more handy in bad weather! You can check the differences, country by country, in the Aerad paperback guide to country differences etc. It is very inexpensive and is huge fun to read. Any idea what the transition altitude is in Nepal? Happy flying!