This thread has provided some very useful opinion - thanks.
The interesting thing is FlyBe would be an airline I would like to appear employable to, as the shorter sectors and turboprobs really appeal to me...friend of mine (same age) is in the hold pool for them right now - and they seem a very decent firm.
I'm inclined to stay in the UK and can afford the higher cost of training. What I was more concerned about is a pro-longed CPL due to the usual UK FTO issues (weather/slot availability etc) and a CPL course dragging on for more than four weeks.
Hence looking at the US, and then checking out if I would be burning any bridges....am not hell bent on driving a big ship; but certainly would not want to follow a path now which made me a lesser candidate for some reason further down the line.
Yipes, better get back to Gen Nav joy..... ;-)