Originally Posted by
haviator
Based on the feedback here, I don't think I'm overblowing the situation and my gut feel about not feeling like I'm getting fair value / fair training is valid. I think I'm going to have to have a chat with the head of operations.
Knowing the person you're talking about, I'm very curious how that turns out.
I trained at that school and while it was mostly pretty good, the quality of the training varied a fair bit depending on who I flew with. I'd discuss your concerns with your instructor and if they're not meeting your expectations, don't feel bad about switching to someone else.
That said, part of your complaint is just the reality of learning to fly: you're always going to burn time doing your pre-takeoff checks, getting into the training area and starting whatever the lesson is about. It's actually a lot better at YLIL than many other airports since you rarely have to wait on the ground and the training area is right next to the field. You could consider asking for a double slot for your lessons so you can spend more time doing stalls/turns etc, they'll probably give you a bit of pushback if you're early in your training but it can definitely be done.