DS, you've got till end of the year to get your DS form.
You need to do some paperwork beforehand.
then you have to enter US by beginning of June 2010 to be secure.
Question is, does Bristow Academy have spaces, I presume you won't be the only one hasting to get in before the flight training J1 is gone.
Seeing the vain attempt doc below, it just confirms my old presumptions.
I wouldn't call it 'end of the schools' in heli training. Hillsboro Aviation also has airplane side of training and lots of German and Scandinavian heli students, who could do the JAA conversion once back.
Bristow Academy should make do with M1 visa only as well. Just some of the fixed wing overpriced J1 schools would take bigger hit if they don't have the J1 visa advantage anymore. That's just my outsider opinion.
If BA is clogged for combined JAA/FAA or JAA only programmes, get onto FAA only and do the European theory alongside. You can actually sit all the exams in Florida without being directly on their flagship programme.
It may take only a week or two to get all the paperwork for the DS form sorted. Then you can take your time with the embassy visa interview sometime January or February or whenever in due time. So long you have the DS form issued by school before NYE. Easy.
Enjoy