hey good post, im looking at something similar, im looking at building hours while making it a professional yet pleasure trip. im looking to fly out of florida to the caribbean islands with a cessna 172 or of some sort. im a bit scared of crossing waters but its worth it. any tips or advice? and another thing where can i get a cessna 172 or 152 to rent for about 2 weeks for myself at a cheap price? please advice thanks.