I've been flying for 8 years and teaching for more than 3 and i look forward to doing flight tests / reccurency training with the CFI etc to have a chance to learn more and polish up parts I may be overlooking.
Bigger numbers for me, but I agree - *however* I've also a lot of sympathy with those trying to do their flying on a budget, or in a type of aircraft for which instructors are hard to find. For those people the cost and inconvenience can be large.
It's one of the reasons why the inexpensive CRI course is so good as, for example, it allows the relatively affordable existence of LAA coaches and/or instructors within syndicates. Certainly I'm in a couple of syndicates where part-time FIs and CRIs do biennials for a coffee.
Which is a valid point - Andrew, why don't you use the LAA coaching scheme for your biennial? It's for expenses only, and you'll get an instructor familiar with your class of aircraft, doing it purely because they enjoy instructing.
G