Colgan

[chperplt]

Blade

Are you in, or trying to get into one of these programs?

 

[halfmoon]

blade230,

here you go. let me know if the link doesn't work
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisp...ws&thesubsection=general&thesecondsubsection=

I also have an incident from singapore air in fiji, exactly the same scenario, with a junior captain who went through the cadetship prog..

 

[center]

I don't want to step on anybody here, but we recently had our first incident with a recently promoted cadet Captain. No significant damage, and no injuries. As for the person who shows ignorance and racism, many of our cadets are not of Asian heritage.

Dragonair has not upgraded their first cadet, yet.

Cheers,

 

[halfmoon]

blade230,

A well trained pilot we can see. He continued an 8 hour oceanic flight because he thought the tail strike didn't cause much damage!

 

[100LL... Again!]

I can't believe they kept going.

Once a cadet, always a cadet...

 

[BRA]

I've been around many PFT and non PFT pilots at colgan.....interesting how the PFT bashing, and lack of pilot skill always takes place behind their backs, and never in front of them. In fact, people so passionately anti-low time pilot seem to be pretty nice to them. They are not the anti-christ...most of them are just everyday people, no different from non PFT pilots. I also think many of them didn't start there career with colgan to destroy the pilot career. Some may be were told it would be a good way to start by their dad that was footing the bill, or perhaps they had little time to make a decision as to whether to pay or not.....do to "classes filling up fast". May be even some didn't have time to check the flight info boards to see where the rest of the aviation internet community stood on the issue. Just a thought. So why do former colgan people go back and browse the colgan posts, and knock the company left and right??? Well the company deserves it for one. Also, he would sh1t himself if he one day checked the colgan posts and saw a thread of an RJ announcement for colgan with united or delta codeshare attached to it....and think, man i had a good seniority number there. If i left, (which of course i will, once i reach the age of reason), i will be doing the same thing. Long shot....of course, but once upon a time chautauqua had props and a seniority list of 200 pilots.

 

[hifhflyer]

i'm glad to finally see other people who are willing to stand up for these guys who don't defend themselves nearly as often as they are attacked. i'm not trying to incite aything here, just reiterating that as pilots, we are all on the same side of the cockpit door. It's better to try to stick together as crewmembers, than gang up on each other instead of the people who REALLY deserve it. you guys know who i mean- the ones who do the shi tting.

 

[climbhappy]

...also he would sh$t himself if...

he checked back and found Colgan was getting jets....... BRA i don't think so.......if you never been a cpt at colgan then you're not privy to the arm twisting to complete a flight with stuff that isn't MEL'ble...or being dispatched by rose to use runways you don't have numbers, ( altoona incident)

reality check, unless the jets are old russian Tupulovs, they could never afford them for one,

second, the pay at colgan is lousy, i could not pay my bills last year, and made more as a first year Fo at cc air than a colgan cpt. the big difference, opentime flying . there's never any at colgan, so you can't make a living Had to work a part-time job.

was I grateful to work again yes, but really it's the botom rung on the ladder. this will cease anyway when airways goes under.

why revisit the colgan board, it's simple, i like chrplt!

 

[BRA]

I am not the new defender of colgan. He can rip on me rather than some 600 hour pilot that is just trying to start his career. I am an accomplished b1tcher about colgan. Yeah.....he probably wouldn't care. Taking into consideration how long he had been here, he probably wouldn't. I can see that. I get that. The gears in his would be turning though. It was just one possible view point. The statement is better suited for FO's that have left. This month and next month a lot of the bases do infact have open time. These bases in hick outstations is what needs to come to an end. It would be easier for everything. First time i have ever really seen any open time since i have been here. But why? May be because those 4 upgrades a month they told the FO's about at the end of november have only been 2 a month. Do we upgrade people....or do we need to keep them in the pool of FO's that is shrinking fast? No, i don't see jets coming here either. And how many of you predicted after the value jet crash that it would turn into airtran and have all new 717's and new 737s on the way? Things change, now airtran is always one of like 5 names regional pilots mention when they talk about their future plans I will say this, they have only 3 C models online now. Yesterday was the 12th and all the bids were out. Would he be missing management.....nope. Jets wouldn't be going into the hick airports colgan serves though. Part of the problem here is that we fly crap into crap. Altoona. Lebanon. Rockland. These are not destinations, they are punishments. I never heard of any of these places before i worked here, and rightly so. Better keep the completion factor up to these places otherwise you'll lose the EAS to mesa or someone. I am out

 

[chperplt]

why revisit the colgan board

It's very simple... More drama unfolds at Colgan on a daily basis than on any soap opera. It's very humorous to read posts from 600 hour pilots who say their dream is to fly for Colgan someday.

I also think I have a responsibility to make sure everyone knows that Steve and Scott died because of something the company did, and still does to this day.

 

[BRA]

I doubt it is their dream to fly for colgan. I doubt it is a colgan regional pilots dream to jump over to comair or air wisconsin either. You go for what is there for you at the time. And you make the best of it. You take the good with the bad, and you do what you think is best for your career goals. May be pilots with boeing time, or regional pilots with 1000+ turbine PIC going to a place to make 22 or so an hour to fly jets isn't the best thing for the industry either. I wonder....does a PFTer wake up in the morning wanting to destroy the industry....or does he develope these urges as the day goes on?

 

[chperplt]

I doubt it is a colgan regional pilots dream to jump over to comair or air wisconsin either.

Why not? Have you looked at either of those two companies pay scales and retirement packages? Do you know that a second year FO at Comair makes more than a 5th year Beech Captain at Colgan? Did you know that the retirement package at Comair can provide for one he!! of a retirement??

 

[BRA]

I know all about comair. I have been trying to get in there for years now. I am not knocking it. But wouldn't United or Delta, or Jetblue be so much better? Either they are not hiring, or they don't give you the time of day, so you go with what you can get. Same goes for the dude with 600TT. Colgan is what is out there, he will make the best of it.

 

[chperplt]

But wouldn't United or Delta, or Jetblue

Yea.. UAL and DAL are hiring a bunch right now.

The point is still that a 600 hour pilot is dangerous and not a significant part of the crew in the environment that you fly in. At least when they go to the Saab they have an autopilot to fly for them.

It has nothing to do with doing the best you can. I chose to make a move to Comair not as a lateral move, but as a career enhancing move. If Jetblue didn't have their 20,000lb requirement, I would have applied to them as well.

At nearly 4000 hours with over 1500 turbine PIC, I am qualified to fly for Comair, Southwest, or anyone else for that matter. I won't be a hindrance to the captain and crew. I understand everyone has to start somewhere and I understand why the 600 hour pilot finds it so tempting to drop a load a cash for a job.

As Climb said, you don't have a clue. That's not a dig on you at all. You've never been in the left seat and had to fly 8 approaches to 1800 rvr in a day because the guy in the right seat can't do it. You've never had to fly the airplane and listen intently to every radio call because the guy next to you isn't listening, or is taking 2 minutes to check in. Again, you don't have a clue what's it's like to be in the other seat and continually fly a two person airplane single pilot.

Spend your 18,000 flying right seat cargo and gain some experience before you put a unknowing passenger behind you. My beef here is NOT with PFT, but with the quality of experience that is PFTing..

 

[deadstick]

My beef here is NOT with PFT, but with the quality of experience that is PFTing..

Right there is a great summary.

 

[climbhappy]

to continue the great summary

i didn't have a clue at 600 hrs and a piper turbo arrow was like an f-14 to me. can't imagine having 19 in back going down to 1800 rvr at 600 hrs. well, i guess i can imagine doing the callouts at 600 hrs.

 

[BRA]

Sorry i haven't been on top of my profile. But i am a captain, i have sat in the left seat, and i do have a clue. I have shot most of the approaches during the day....due to the high mins issues. Their skills very, some are good, some need work. Same goes for those with 1500 hours though as well. Transtates, chautauqua, and others just aren't taking the CFI's right now. Just as United and Delta aren't taking people like you. So you take what you can get. A stepping stone. Dangerous 600 hour pilots are a bad thing to have, i get all that. Colgan now has a simulator check in the beech for potential applicants. Whether that will help anything or not i am not sure. They take the check before they pay the cash.

 

[chperplt]

Congratulations on the upgrade.. Where are you based now?

 

[Beechluvr]

At nearly 4000 hours with over 1500 turbine PIC, I am qualified to fly for Comair, Southwest, or anyone else for that matter. I won't be a hindrance to the captain and crew.

They might have a different opinion, at least until you get a few hundred hours in the new airplane and new environment under your belt. There are some pretty obvious differences in the jet operating environment compared to the beech, especially in planning. the margin of error is much smaller since the airplane won't cover mistakes as well. You'll also probably be flying into lots of unfamiliar airports so you won't know all the procedures/frequencies by heart. These are the same things that make the transition difficult for the 600 hr new hires (PFT or not). Some pick it up quickly, others don't.

BTW, what if the 600 hr guys weren't PFT? Would that make a difference in the way they fly? How about a 2000 hr. PFTer? Would he not be as good a stick because he paid?

I'm not defending PFT, personally I don't agree with it, but it has nothing to do with their flying ability.

 

[Beechluvr]

I also think I have a responsibility to make sure everyone knows that Steve and Scott died because of something the company did, and still does to this day

That was a tragic accident and a profound loss at Colgan.

What exactly did the company do, and is still doing, to this day?