I did my PPL there...great place to fly...at one stage I was cruising at 10,000ft in a piper arrow and a 747 climbed past me...awesome sight for a student with 45hrs!!! Terrain wasn't much of an issue.... valuable lessons in density altitude during the summer. No need for oxygen. Lots of interesting Desert flying...check out Borrego and Thermal, and the pilots jaccuzzi in Palm Springs. Also The San Andres fault which runs through Salten Sea.....
....happy times
P.S. Hire a Piper.... much more fun!!!!