Bootscooter,
Forgeting AVCs for the moment, have you considered other ways of making hay whilst the sun shines? There are lots of pros and cons and they're not right for everyone but given your stated circumstances and possibly, your needs, it might be worth you delving a little deeper to get a more informed perspective.
http://www.mod.uk/NR/rdonlyres/FC4FE...5AYFactors.pdf