I did my primary flight training at a slow, towered airport, where our flight school consisted of about 70% of the traffic taking off and landing. There was a commuter operation with three or four flights a day, and occasional private jet and corporate traffic. The controllers were fantastic about slowing down calls for student pilots, and the flight school regularly scheduled visits to the tower so we could see how the other side operates.
For variety, we often did pattern work at the nearby non-towered field, which truly felt pilot-controlled. There were a few additional flight schools at that airport, plus more jet traffic. The pattern frequently had six to eight aircraft in it, with a jet on a long final. I have often heard that pilots who train at towered airports are more comfortable at towered airports, and pilots who training at non-towered airports prefer non-towered airports. Luckily for me, comfort is usually the result of a healthy dose of exposure therapy.
