It's really great to get all these responses. Seems like you've got to be pretty self driven without too many distractions to get through this stuff!
My Dad did his Masters degree by distance learning. He said the only thing that got him through it was the occassional contact with other people in the same boat. Tutors were great when it came to getting him over difficulty with the material, but other students helped when it came to motivation.
Do any of the distance learing schools help put you in touch with other students?
Could PPRuNe fulfil this role (WWW & Scroggs?). It would be pretty boring for anyone else - not the sort of thing to post on this forum. Maybe there's sufficient interest to take up some of Danny's valuable server space?
Post here if you think it's a good idea
Thanks again guys