Thanks for your replies.
Willbav8r, I don't currently hold any licences, but hope to pass the JAR exams before travelling and then fly over there and get my licences.
For an Irishman who doesn't enjoy heat enormously, what time of year should I travel to get temperatures in mid teens to early twenties C, in the California area. Will the weather by consistently flyable.
Thanks for the advice and weblinks guys.