PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Intensive PPL with on-site accommodation in nice location?
Old 11th Aug 2014, 20:41
  #54 (permalink)  
dera
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 153
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Weather is a matter of preference. I hate winter ops and much rather sweat a bit.

The training quality varies alot within Europe too, that is not an argument for or against either option.

Florida is flat, but it has a few interesting places to fly to. Most of northern Europe is flat too. Nothing much to see or do, flying through France, Poland or Germany for example. Scotland and Wales are pretty, but again we have the weather question there.

Fact is, it is possible to do an intensive PPL course anywhere in the world, when you find a flight school that will do that with you.
You just need to do the risk assessment regarding the weather, emergency back home-situations, and other variables in the equation. If the price offered at that training location is something you are happy with given the conditions and the assessed risk, go for it. If you have doubt about the plan, don't go. In my personal opinion and when I was making this decision, I rated the weather risk significant enough anywhere north of Paris to be a no-go.
The visa issues weren't even a consideration in my situation, like I said, it was a complete non-issue for me.
I also think Spain is very boring, FL was much more interesting as a location. Now after flying in both places, I think Spain is very boring and Spanish ATC are godawful, and FL still is very interesting.

So, for my personal criteria, I definitely made the right choice. OP has to make his decision based on his own situation.
dera is offline