Thanks for the info so far - my copy of the Clive Hughes should arrive today or tomorrow. As it is a bit late in the year to be starting a PPL for weather reasons - I doubt I could complete it before the winter starts - I plan on getting going in about March. All being well I hope to be finished by the autumn, and then get on to the more intensive stuff. At least that gives me 6 months or so from now to plan properly for it all. An additional question - I am off to Florida on holiday just after Easter, and although doing a full PPL during that trip isn't an option, I may be able to spend 2-3 days flying. However as (I guess) I will be in the fairly early stages of getting a PPL is there any benefit to taking the chance of doing a few hours for a bit less than normal, or will time with a different instructor and different environment (and maybe even a different aircraft type) at that stage be counter productive? If it is a good idea, can anyone recommend a school in the Orlando/Kissimmee area?