Colgan Hiring

[T-REX]

umm...yeah a King Air.

Yea, that was a little too harsh. Just a joke, I appologize.

 

[beechcowboy]

Chill out! I fly a turboprop too..I just want these guys to realize that getting a good job with 1000 turboprop is possible, but in no way a guarantee. RJs will outnumber mainline jets someday and although the T-Prop guys may have better stick and rudder skills, the guys with the FMS, EFIS, Jet Experience will probably get the job.

My point exactly! And folks, you need not take things so personally. I was not cutting on AirTran in an earlier post. In fact, if you read the print, I basically say good for you. If, given the state of the industry, you have chosen AirTran as your carrier, then the means has justified the end, and after 4 years a CJC, you deserve to go where you want to go. Obviously, we all would have liked to be at one of the legacy majors, it just ain't happening. I, PERSONALLY, and I restate the point, PERSONALLY, do not want to fly for AirTran. If they were the only one's bangin' down my door, I might budge; but my life style dictates where I would like to go, be based, etc. Frankly, one or two other regionals fit that mold better than does AirTran. So chill out, don't take things so personally, be glad you've moved on, and we'll see you out on the battlefield.

 

[dh82dvr]

Burning twice the gas to get there 7 minutes faster at current prices, watch out for the return of the large turbo prop.

 

[ShyFlyGuy]

Have a interview with Colgan coming up. Anyone have any info on how the interview goes? Where are new hires placed?

Jet, to answer your questions without the frills, as I said earlier, check out www.aviationinterviews.com for the scoop on the interviews. As for placement after training, we're going all over the place for the first few months (ALB, DCA, CWE, ROC, BUF, IAH off the top of my head), but as the growth in TX kicks in, people from the Northeast will move to TX, as well as new-hires. That makes for a very open field out here... you can expect to get anywhere you want except Bar Harbor (don't listen to anyone else on here... it's gorgeous up there... I'd take it if I got it) or Presque Isle (very senior base... don't ask, it's a mystery). Other than that, it's open to FOs, and I'm sure that's what you're interviewing for.

Hope that helps.

Shy

 

[TheBigH]

... you can expect to get anywhere you want except Bar Harbor (don't listen to anyone else on here... it's gorgeous up there... I'd take it if I got it)

LMAO ....... Shy congrats on making it through training but somebody has lied to you about BHB ... It is very pretty up there in the summer, but you'll spend half your paycheck on rent, won't have cell phone reception and your social life will consist mostly of Bingo, watching scenery, and wishing you didn't have to spend most of your money on rent so you could afford the lobster ....

I've yet to meet any FO that was glad they got BHB .....

 

[chperplt]

Presque Isle (very senior base... don't ask, it's a mystery

Come on Shy... You've obviously never been to PQI. Sure, the winter is harsh and the nights are long... BUT. What other base can you go to where the station has a cook out almost daily? You come back from your trip and find burgers, hot dogs, chips, salads... Where else can you go in the Colgan system where you ONLY do 2 roundtrips daily?? Where else can you go and stay at a hotel with maid service (usually) for under 200 bucks a month. Where else can you go where the hotel resteraunt gives you a 50% discount?

I had more fun in PQI than I had anywhere else... and I was at MANY bases.

 

[TheBigH]

I got to do a couple of runs to PQI in the Beech, man what a milk run that is .... Take off 4L from BOS, fly runway heading direct PQI when able .... hour and a half later you line up with the runway, land, park the plane and enjoy your burgers ... doesn't get much better than that ...

 

[chperplt]

Nope.... Doesn't get much better than that! (For Colgan standards that it)

 

[TheBigH]

Nope.... Doesn't get much better than that! (For Colgan standards that it)

Yea Colgan Mainline has it good .... we Beech folk still have to earn our pay ....

 

[Kaman]

Hello,
I think that no matter what you fly there is always going to be a certain amount of rivalry. Kind of like the type of friendly banter between military fixed-wing jockies and rotorheads. However, I am quite happy flying the Beech and haven't really cuaght a case of "jet fever" to go fly an RJ. I'd like to perhaps fly for Comair, but thats a matter of Comair being an excellent company to work for.
Onto the point of the thread...Colgan bases. I can only speak for my personal situation, and in convserations with others. If you want the block time go to SYR or LEB. If you want a better schedule, BKW or SHD would be my choice. I don't know anything about HYA or the other bases, but I have heard that HPN isn't all that bad and they give you $300.00 towards a crashpad. Westchester county has one of the highest cost of living in the US. Not great on F/O pay, but it's close to NYC if thats a plus?
Not heard too much about the situation in IAH, but it went senior vice junior for manning and I think that this came as a surprise to both managment and the pilot group. Many of the SAAB bases are in the "great white north" BUF, PQI and ALB. Thats not necessarily a negative and has it's plus sides as some of the guys have mentioned. ORF is a senior base, and HYA is a TDY base beginning 01 May. Most of the people that do stay long enough to transition to the SAAB (About 2.5 years currently) seem to be happy for the time being. I don't know how many doors it will open, but most of the "escapees" to AT, JB, etc... flew the Swedish love machine.
Rumor control has it that SAAB will be paying for anything that needs to be done to the SAAB 2000 to bring them up to US FAR standards. CJC will be making a decision shortly and it's a possibility that Colgan may have upwards of 15-20 of them in the future. Personally, I think that the BE-1900 is on it's way out eventually (even though we are getting 4 more "D" with 2 on the property currently). Recent budgetary decisons for FY2006 may end the EAS susidy program. Many of the communities cannot make-up the shortfall in funds to keep their airline service. So, I can see a curtailment of 19-seat operations at many airports, not just ones in Colgan's system.
Some of you folks are concerned about training and I can honestly say that Colgan's training was excellent on the Beech. We had an excellent instructor for ground school and I had no complaints about any of my sim instructors and I had 5 different instructors. Everyone in my class made it through with no problems and all are either on the line or flying for another regional.
Maintenance...Just like I learned in the military. Be very thorough in your preflight duties and when their is a doubt, double-check. I think that they do a good job, but the biggest problem I see is that they just don't see the airplanes enough. Outbasing is a problem given the size of the operation now. Will it change? I haven't a clue. We do carry MEL's, but I've never felt unsafe in an airplane. If I did, I'd say something. Many of you forget that maintenance at the majors has also killed people...American in ORD being a classic case. I've been around long enough in civil/military aviation to know shoody maintenance. It's not the case here. Room for improvement obviously, but where else is that not the case?

Regards,

ex-Navy rotorhead

"Winds at Bluefiled are 320 at 15 gusting to 25...braking action reported poor by a pick-up truck"...Thats what we live for!