I have a few questions about private piloting (the PPL license) that I
havent seen answered anywhere. Maybe I'll learn about them during
training, but whether or not I'll train depends on these answers:

(1) Is there a central repository of rental locations other than the
yellow pages?

(2) After the ground training, do you have scheduled time with a
trainer regularly, or do you just call a day or two in advance to check
if the trainer is available to fly with?

(3) Once the 20 hours with the trainer is complete, can you go to any
FBO, rent the airplane and fly around to complete the remaining hours?
Do you have to stick with an FBO?

(4) Do the required 40 hours have to be in clear overcast weather or do
you get to experience windy weather/rainy/night?

(5) What is the difference between the recreational pilots license and
the PPL?

(6) Can you fly ultralights and wing gliders with a PPL?

(7) Is the PPL recognized worldwide? Can I just rent out aircraft in
Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, UK, Spain, Brazil etc?

(8) Can you also fly aircraft with floats?

(9) I understand to fly aircraft weighing more than 12500 lbs, you have
to test for that aircraft with a trainer for a few hours. Is this also
required for lighter but multiengine or turboprop aircraft like the
Cessna 208?

(10) Will I be able to rent any airplane under 12500lbs from any FBO or
do each FBO put their own requirements (like 100 flight hours)?

(11) Can I rent something to do a trans-atlantic? (after some real
x-country experience)

(12) Can I take aircraft into the arctic as cold as it gets?

(13) Is there a limit of the distance I can go or the number of people
or weight I can carry, or the altitude or speed beside the aircraft's
certified performance?

(14) Can I fly jets? If so is anyone renting out?

(15) Can I take friends skydiving?

(16) Are some of these questions answered in a FAQ I can just check?

Thanks for your answers.