I kind of figured you'd get lots of divers opinions about that
subject, and I was right. Thing is, they are all right too, in their own
way. I won't try and tell you where the "Best Place" is, but I'll tell you
my experience.
I did all my primary training out of Inyokern (IYK) near the
northern boundaries of California's share of the Mojave Desert. The eastern
face of the Sierra Madre towers several thousand feet above the airport's
three runways. Occasionally the winds whip up from the S and SW with enough
force to sandblast paint. In the summer, temperatures can exceed 120 F on
the runway surface. Winter temperatures plummet into the teens every winter
and every couple of years the snow will pile up several inches on the
runway. Thermals are numerous and bounce aircraft every which way,
especially on short final. IYK is imbedded deep inside Special Use Airspace
and inside one MOA. R-2505 is so close to the airport that runway 20
requires right traffic to remain clear.
I am particularly glad I did my primary at IYK because, as my
instructor told me, "If you can learn to fly here, you can fly anywhere!"
That was while I was crabbing down a runway, flying into a 30+K, 90-degree
crosswind. We did another pass a few minutes later in a slip. None of that
was required in the PTS, Bob wanted me to learn how to handle crosswinds.
Was that the best place to learn to fly? It was for me. Density
altitude was a fact of life, sometimes even in the winter, not a text book
drill. Cross winds and turbulence, the same. Learning to navigate SUA was a
reality. Cross-country over mountain ridges an absolute necessity.
Go learn to fly somewhere where the air is silky, the ground is flat
to the horizon in every direction, and the winds hardly get above a
breeze -- if you want to. But if you want to experience reality, find a
place like IYK.