Dear Radarcontrol,
I did my PPL at LFS, and passed about a year ago. Although I found it annoying that I was going to be seemingly 'dumped' in favour of the University Students, I was proved wrong. My instructor (JF - if he's still there) made sure that I finished off my PPL. He, and LFS is general, pulled out all of the stops to make sure that I passed. And I'd like to thank them again for that.
Reading some of the comments on this thread has made me laugh and feel puzzlement in equal measures. I flew with virtually all of the instructors at LFS at one point or another, and all of them were top notch pilots.
KR made me laugh, and he gave me lots of encouragment after a particulaly low point in my training.
GM was a down-to-earth sort of bloke. He would tell you how it was, and how it could be improved.
JJ was my favourite instuctor (becasue he taught me up to the first solo - but he's with the airlines now. How are you?)
SH annoyed me a bit, but like every other instructor, he was an excellent pilot. For a lot of students, he was their favourite. He had a certain style. He is an airline pilot now. Good luck to him, and if he's reading this, I'm sorry for acting like such a c***t.
JF - He really gives a !!!!! about his students. He becomes like a man possessed to get them through the course.
JD - Quiet and assured. Taught me a lot, even though I only ever flew with him for 10 mins.
And DD. Without him manning the desks, I'm sure that LFS would end up in all sorts of knots.
I would recommend LFS to anybody who wants to be taught in a professional manner. Sure, there will be days when there is no aircraft available. And like others have said, the weather leaves a lot to be desired. But if you've got aspirations to become a commercial pilot (which I don't) then LFS would be an excellent choice.
Having said all of that, I know a few pilots who did their PPL with Multiflight, and they swore by them. Check out both schools. See which one tickles your fancy.