Hi Flying SA
I am puzzled why you want to send your "son" (if you are 29 you must have had him a tender age!) to the US. The standard of training in SA is far superior to some the FTO's offering training to predominately foreign students in the US. I did my FAA licenses in Florida and thus have some experience, also I held the SA CPL/IR Grade II and hold JAA Licenses/instructors/examiners etc. Having done many License conversions to JAA I would say overall the SA license holders are far better equipped than those who have got the FAA qualifications. The FAA system is excellent in principle and I use a lot of their material for training, however so much of it is lost in translation when delivered at FTO's catering for foreign pilot hopefuls. This is just my opinion as I have all the "T" shirts and experience of various the licensing regimes. Hope this helps you in a solution for your "son"!