Excellent posts, everyone.
syncro_single, if you take a look at recent flying magazines you will see that the perceived pros and cons of the NPPL are rehashed at length every couple of issues or so.
A good general reference book that you will enjoy reading and would helpfully supplement Pratt or Thom is Peter Garrison's "Flying Airplanes: The First Hundred Hours" (NY: Doubleday, 1980). It is out of print, but available at the library or secondhand. He makes the point that one should avoid loading up on unnecessary 'pilot' stuff, e.g. watches, hats, jackets, rulers, etc. etc.
MLS-12D
