I've been reading a lot of posts that make Colgan seem like a company that is not desirable to work for, I don't get it. I am scheduled to start Saab training for Colgan on the 12th. Colgan seems like a great company. They pay during training, they pay more than skywest first and second year if you upgrade second year. And well comutting sucks no matter which company you work for. Just because it is not an RG or an EMB doesent make a difference to me as long as it burns jet fuel. Decent pay, pay during traing and 10 or 12 days off guarenteed sounds great. Everyone talks about this major hiring boom in 2007 and with the upgrade times at Colgan I'll be ready for this boom. You can't argue with that. To me its a no brainer...... What do you think?
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Colgan
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Use them like they will abuse you, and get out. It seems most of their East coast bases are two leg commutes (or more, depending where you live). Your 10 days off will quickly turn into 6. I don't think they have a commuter policy. I'm sure many of the current and former Colganites will soon offer their insight.
Good luck,
Good luck,
GEORGE DUBYA
Well-known member
I agree ALASKa. Upgrade time is really quick. I would rather fly the plane instead of sitting their pressing buttons in the right seat of a regional jet for years. I like the hard work ethic there as well.
This 'Hiring boom in 2007' isn't going to happen for several reasons.
- The legacy carriers have to recall and retrain thousands before hiring again.
- The majors will probably never return to their former size.
- Escalating fuel costs.
- The likely permanent loss of the full-fare first class business customer.
On the plus side, age 60 retirements will increase rapidly, unless Congress unwisely extends the mandatory retirement age.
So this major hiring boom may not arrive. The growth will be in 70-90 seat lower paying jobs, C-scale jobs.
The race to the bottom will continue until PFT and predatory and corrupt airline CEOs cease to be.
- The legacy carriers have to recall and retrain thousands before hiring again.
- The majors will probably never return to their former size.
- Escalating fuel costs.
- The likely permanent loss of the full-fare first class business customer.
On the plus side, age 60 retirements will increase rapidly, unless Congress unwisely extends the mandatory retirement age.
So this major hiring boom may not arrive. The growth will be in 70-90 seat lower paying jobs, C-scale jobs.
The race to the bottom will continue until PFT and predatory and corrupt airline CEOs cease to be.
BirdCatcher
Well-known member
It may be a no brainer now, but we'll see what you say 6 months from now. I have seen some crazy things at this company that made me wonder if i was working at an airline, or a circus. The pilots you'll fly with are great, people at inside the Kremlin is what you want to stay away from. As far as upgrade, just because its a year now, doesn't mean it will the same next year. Keep in mind the fact they hired about 100 pilots ahead of you just this year. Just some food for thought. And this 2007 hiring thing, you'll probably be flying a Colgan Saab 2000 before that happens.
When they start killing your colleagues you may feel a little differently about working at Colgan. Especially when they blame the pilots.
I also started my first 121 job at Colgan and I understand you are excited about your new job. Now that I work for a much larger company, I realize just how backwards things are there. For example, I hardly ever see anything on my MEL list, where at Colgan it could get 6 items or more long, then you ended up ferrying the airplane to a maintenance base hours before the MEL is due to expire. The FAA monitored Colgan much more than my current company because of their poor maintenance program. We have earned the FAA’s Diamond award for several years in a row for our quality maintenance.
I personally was never “screwed” by there scheduling department, I always tried to treat them in a kind manner, and they seemed to appreciate that. However, they were not happy when I walked away from upgrade to fly for my hometown airline in ATL. I did consider walking away from PIC time, but my second year FO pay is more than your 3rd year CAPT pay, I don't commute, I was on reserve for 3 months, now fly 35 to 40hrs a month as a line holder with 10 days off, or I can get a 3 on 4 off schedual with about 13-15 days off, better destinations, and upgrade within reach before this "2007 hiring".
Bottom line: it is as good as you want it to be!
PS: there’s a little more to flying a Jet than just pushing buttons. Just ask the two 1900 drivers in my class that didn’t make it past CPT 4 and Sim 2.
I also started my first 121 job at Colgan and I understand you are excited about your new job. Now that I work for a much larger company, I realize just how backwards things are there. For example, I hardly ever see anything on my MEL list, where at Colgan it could get 6 items or more long, then you ended up ferrying the airplane to a maintenance base hours before the MEL is due to expire. The FAA monitored Colgan much more than my current company because of their poor maintenance program. We have earned the FAA’s Diamond award for several years in a row for our quality maintenance.
I personally was never “screwed” by there scheduling department, I always tried to treat them in a kind manner, and they seemed to appreciate that. However, they were not happy when I walked away from upgrade to fly for my hometown airline in ATL. I did consider walking away from PIC time, but my second year FO pay is more than your 3rd year CAPT pay, I don't commute, I was on reserve for 3 months, now fly 35 to 40hrs a month as a line holder with 10 days off, or I can get a 3 on 4 off schedual with about 13-15 days off, better destinations, and upgrade within reach before this "2007 hiring".
Bottom line: it is as good as you want it to be!
PS: there’s a little more to flying a Jet than just pushing buttons. Just ask the two 1900 drivers in my class that didn’t make it past CPT 4 and Sim 2.
$.02
Well, I think colgan is a place where you go if you just want to get it done. It probably isn't a place where you want to have your career.
But the fact that Captains are moving out in droves to many heavy jet operators including SW, Jet Blue, Air Tran, Gemini and Kallita. And this is all recently...
So it may not be the best place to work, but looking down the road i don't think it is a bad move at all.
Well, I think colgan is a place where you go if you just want to get it done. It probably isn't a place where you want to have your career.
But the fact that Captains are moving out in droves to many heavy jet operators including SW, Jet Blue, Air Tran, Gemini and Kallita. And this is all recently...
So it may not be the best place to work, but looking down the road i don't think it is a bad move at all.
It's all a game of risk management... How much are you the pilot willing to risk to achieve your ultimate goal. There are many Colgan pilots facing FAA enforcement action as I type this right now. All because they work for a company that doesn't give a rats ass about them.
If you are good at managing risk you might be able to walk out of there with some good experience and a good future... If you're not... I wish you luck.. No one will hire you with a violation. Even the best of the best at Colgan have gotten in trouble.. No one is immune.
Risk management is the key... Are you up for the challenge?
chperplt said:
2 WORDS for everyone....Scott and Steve...
Once again my casino faring brother, you have nailed it on the head. Any plans for a 2 year memorium for our brothers in the sky? It's hard to believe it's been 2 years and MX still doesn't get it.
Yeah, I think what you see initially is very different from what it is. First, those 10 days off will become 8 or 9 days off because you will be junior manned. There is no premium pay for jr manning, it doesn't even go on top of your credit guarentee.... so you can be jr manned, lose out on days off, and not even make a dime over 75 hrs. If money is what you were talking about, you will also lose out on per diem (unless you tdy), it's not much, but that's an extra $500/month, that's about what each of your paycheck will be (2x/mo). Any place that you go where you must upgrade in a year for you to go to, I think is not worth it, because things always change, there are no promises. Work rules....there are not really any... they will take you off a scheduled trip in your line so that your captain can do IOE for a new fo, but you will not be off with pay like most places, instead they give you 5 or 6 days of reserve! There are obviously much more to what they do and what you will see, but I think you just have to take CJ for what it is. 5 or 6 months into it, you will have to do your own evaluation... how important is upgrading vs. everything else. I don't think there's a right answer for all, just how it fits you best. Good luck.
Clarifications on 2007 boom
Clarifications on the 2007 hiring boom. Since I started posting this in 2002, it was not intended to be a "Majors" hiring boom. Although there are new majors doing hiring JB and AT. It will be an increase in new jobs to levels seen in 1997 and 1987. Many of these will be the result of a pilot moving, such as leaving Colgan to take a job at JB, that is 2 new jobs, the pilot hired by JB and the pilot hired at Colgan. You could expand this further and the pilot now leaves Air Net to go to Colgan. Right now, there is mini pilot shortage on the lower end of the scale. Right now Pinnacle and Grand Aire are continually advertising for pilots. I would assume that there are many more out also having trouble filling their cockpit seats. All the signs are there; here comes the 2007-hiring boom.
Clarifications on the 2007 hiring boom. Since I started posting this in 2002, it was not intended to be a "Majors" hiring boom. Although there are new majors doing hiring JB and AT. It will be an increase in new jobs to levels seen in 1997 and 1987. Many of these will be the result of a pilot moving, such as leaving Colgan to take a job at JB, that is 2 new jobs, the pilot hired by JB and the pilot hired at Colgan. You could expand this further and the pilot now leaves Air Net to go to Colgan. Right now, there is mini pilot shortage on the lower end of the scale. Right now Pinnacle and Grand Aire are continually advertising for pilots. I would assume that there are many more out also having trouble filling their cockpit seats. All the signs are there; here comes the 2007-hiring boom.
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410dude
pilotyip said:
There you go, TWO QUALITY airlines looking for pilots. I should know, I work for one of the QUALITY airlines listed!
