Hello chaps, sorry it took me a while to get back to this thread and reply to it.
Thanks to all of you for your informative responses, and the last two large ones too! Cheers.
Damnit I would love to fly, but if there's one thing you can pick up before you've even begun, it's that nothing in flying is ever a simple or easy matter. I suppose that's why it gets special people.
Thanks again guys, I really appreciate what you've detailed here, it's hard to get any sort of info anywhere else!
Kind regards,
Rudy