Hi Stephen,
I'll steer clear of your first question, because I'm answering from Canada, and things are probably somewhat different.
As for your second question, have a look lower down this page of threads, or early on the next one. I've put answers into another very similar thread. If those answers don't cover it, ask a more specific quetion, and I'll have an answer for you from at least a Canadian/FAA point of view.
Pilot DAR