"For that kind of $$$ should you really have to sort through BS?"

You gotta remember that with ATP, your CFI could have been no more than a private pilot 91 days ago. That's the way the system works there. Very low time instructors, paid very little, just looking to get a couple hundred more hours so they can get out and get a regional job....as the ATP marketing promises.

The "shock heating" statement cracks me up. You should have pointed out what the CHT gage is for to the poor guy.

I sometimes recommend ATP for the CFI ratings as they know how to get people through and do a lot of them. The FAR's demands CFI instructors have 200 hours of instruction given, so there is a better chance of getting a competent CFI.

In any case, I believe in the old saying that finding a good CFI can make a bad school into a good place to train. And a bad CFI at a good school can make it a bad place to train.