Now thats a great answer.
The thing is pretty well black and white. Whilst you can reclaim vat on most training costs. It means you also must pay to the revenue all vat from any income. The above answer confirms that you cannot make any income from the flying element of your training until well advanced and licenced. If you try to find small areas of 'dodgy' flying income.....like selling photos etc....you must still declare the income for tax and vat. Putting your head way over the parapet and escalating any offence.
What manner of pilot do you want to be? In seeking pefection, or at least flying with exactness and skill and artistry, then we must be prepared to balance these flying characteristics with proper and professional attitudes whilst on the ground.
As a self employed pilot, there will be plenty of other areas of income that you can develop on the ground, to show the revenue that you are in business and not just flying for fun. I still recommend that you develop these income ideas into a revenue stream. Your business will then collect vatable income to offset the refunds that the Revenue will have to make.
You might find that the profits from these ground based activities will support your training costs.
I suppose I am saying, develop a complete self employed flying business with multiple income streams , dont just fly and pretend you are a self employed pilot, whilst working only at your normal day job.
As has been pointed out, the substantial flying income might be 5 or 10 years down the road. The Revenue should know this and accept they will be refunding the vat on your training costs for many years.
The above points I have made relate largely to air law which dont really belong in a vat thread and to some degree played Devils Advocate.