Does anybody have any more information regarding the flight review required?
Honestly do not see there to be to much saving flying in the US just now, I have found eg. in Norway I can rent C-172 or PA28 for £90 - £105 wet - UK a little more - (I do not fly the C-152)
I might be wrong - but not really seen prices in the USA that are that great anymore - specially because the UK Pound now is pretty worthless around the world!
Not sure if flying in other "areas" like Detroit is going to be cheaper, because you will be more dependant on the weather, or lack of good weather.
For the cost of sorting out the flight review and travel/expenses to the US, I could get around 26 - 30 hours in the UK in a PA28.
As an example I looked at sunstateaviation website, and they offer 50 hours incl. accom. for $8179 - (Does not include the flight review for JAR PPL, which I have been quoted approx. $1900 by another flight school)
This price is $8179 is in a C-172, in UK pounds this will be approx. £5842 + £1400 flight review + travel £350 = £7592 (not including food and drinks for a month), for that price you could get around 61 hours in the UK.
Naples air, offer the C-172 at $125 and the PA 28 at $105, however does not confirm if this is wet or dry hour price, still useing the cheapest option, the PA 28 it works out $5250 for 50 hours + flight review and travel/living expenses (cheap hotel probably around ££600). This works out around £6100, and is marginally cheaper then the UK options available which I have found, if the price is wet rental. Also I am not sure if the conditions they require are feasable, all 50 hours within 14 days.
Difference will be around 1.2 hours, which you will probably spend on extra burgers on chips anyway when you are there!
So unless you are buying around 150 -200 hours, I can't really see where the great savings are going to be!
However with more and more student pilots seeing and understanding this, I can see US flight schools struggling now in these next couple of years and going to the wall, because striceter Visa requirements (death of J-1 visa), extremly poor exchange rate for UK students, and a more or less useless FAA license for anyone who wants to fly in europe, with conversions etc. - there is no more great savings, mainly because of the UK Pound exchange rate and less possibilites to instruct in the US in the future!