Information on Colgan Air, please.

[charlie1]

Can anyone who has worked at Colgan or currently working there now give me any information on the company, e.g., schedules, how company treats you, etc. Thank you.

 

[FlightTraker]

I just left a week ago. You have to take it for what it is, a small family owned company. It isn't Comair, ASA or any other decent airline. However, it is a job. Like anywhere else, the pilot group is great, the experience you get is awesome (hand flying in the NE, high density airports etc.) Schedules for the Beech are OK, but the SAAB schedules I saw are alot better. I was able to commute on a Beech schedule (most pilots do) Pay is great for flying a Beech, but not great if you want to eat regular meals. $20 on the Beech and $21 on the SAAB. The company doesn't treat you well, and scheduling likes to bend their own rules (watch out!)

 

[charlie1]

FlightTraker,

Thanks for the reply. How is training? Did you leave before upgrade? Is there any truth to them not being able to make payroll at times? How is maintenance? I appreciate your remarks.

 

[English]

I worked at Colgan several years ago, so my information isn't that current, but hopefully it will help you anyway.

The training was marginal at best. Of course, this was when the Saab program was about a year old, and no one there had any real experience in the airplane. I heard the Beech training was better.

Maintenance? It was, surprising, good on the Saab while I was there, but, you HAVE heard about the Beech 1900 crash off Martha's Vineyard, right?

Not making payroll? That was true when I was there, but not sure about now. In fact, I was furloughed because they couldn't make payroll.

Lastly, and something you should think about, is the company's reputation. Even now, when I tell people that I worked at Colgan (even though it was for a very short period of time), pilots look at me with utter disbelief. Websites such as this have put the word out about Colgan, and lots of pilots read this stuff. There's not a lot of respect for the place, or for pilots that are from Colgan. It used to be a good place to go and get PIC turbine time quickly (that's why I did it). I can't imagine an FO putting up with that stuff, though.

All my personal opinions....PM chperplt ,flyairjason, etc. Oh, there are some surviving relatives of Scott Knabe and Steven Dean on this board as well (the two pilots that died in the above-mentioned Beech crash). PM them if you want more indepth information that shouldn't be posted in public. Do a search on the word "Colgan" and you'll get plenty.

 

[FlightTraker]

Charlie 1,

I just looked at your profile, if your info is correct, why are you looking at Colgan!@#$? They are the bottom feeder's bottom feeder.

It was my first 121 pilot training experience, and I think it was marginal at best. I have worked at Comair and AWAC as a dispatcher, and can tell you there is a major difference in training departments. Upgrades are based on "merit" and are "a priviledge not a right" I was first in my class in seniority and had the required hours to upgrade, and they upgraded the guy who was last in my class. You really have to kiss alot of you know what and write letters and make phone calls to upgrade fast.
The company still keeps money in the bank as long as possible before they pay you. Maintainence is alot better since the accident in HYA. Albany mx is really great, and is the saving grace for the airline.

I lost a really good friend in the crash in HYA, and I found it hard to continue to work there. I feel the company did a horrible job dealing with it. Not much has changed since, Colgan still ferries broken airplanes instead of fixing them. Shortly after the incident, the company put a memo out making sure that we all are doing are checklists properly(implying pilot error-that is how it was read by most) Search Colgan on this board and see what you find, most if not all is true.


FlightTraker

 

[charlie1]

Flight Traker,

Thanks for the reply. I have the time, but I have no PIC turbine time. And that my friend is golden. I'm looking for the quickest upgrade and the quickest exit. When the entire world was furloughed after 9/11 and the few companies that were hiring, mostly cargo, fedex, ups etc. oh, and jetblue, even with heavy jet time I couldn't compete, and I'm talking about getting an application sent to me, because i don't have PIC turbine time. Yeah, i know where colgan falls in the ratings of airlines but in this market everyone is doing what they can to land a job somewhere. and by going to a big regional, comair, xjet, etc upgrade won't happen for a least two year. any suggestions?

 

[English]

Mesa is hiring dash 8 captains.
Island Air is hiring dash 8 captains.
Colgan is hiring 1900 captains.

 

[charlie1]

English,

Thanks for the info. I just sent out my paper work to Island Air. Like i said in the PM to you, i'll just have to wait and see what happens. i'm sure i meet their minimum requirements for upgrade. i'll keep you posted, since you've been helpful. thanks again.

 

[chperplt]

Charlie

If you do a search on these guys you'll see my rants.. I won't repeat them here.

If you're typed in the 1900 or have a good amount of time without the type, you could probably get on as a street captain with these guys. Just be very careful if you do. As important as PIC is to your career, an incident/accident at Colgan can be a killer as well.

 

[BRA]

Does anyone know if colgan is going the street captain route again? Is the training contract for new non PFT still 12 month/ $12,000? From what i have found while working there is that the older people with wives and children, and backgrounds at other airlines have a harder time dealing with the place then the 22 year olds that do not know better and are not tied down. Everyone complains but i would say the older pilots don't do as well with it. I think the younger people have more to lose with a black mark on their record then the older people.

 

[BRA]

so they upgraded some joker that was last in seniority in your class???

 

[norskman2]

Schedules for the Beech are OK, but the SAAB schedules I saw are alot better. I was able to commute on a Beech schedule (most pilots do)

FlightTraker,

Where did you commute to/from? Were you on reserve or holding a line?

I saw some other Colgan threads where people said you pretty much had to live in base because Colgan was out-basing from small cities.

Are you saying Saab schedules are more commutable than 1900 schedules?

Thanks in advance!

 

[climbhappy]

english, speak for yourself

English , you said,

quote: there is not alot of respect for the place, or for the pilots that worked there!"

To make a blanket remark like that is pure crap. I flew with an FO who was an F-14 pilot (yeah, night carrier landings). and naval academy graduate last year. crap, i wanted to swith epaulets with him .

you can't just throw out such manure when guys like myself have gone on to better jobs no to mention there are probably a few at every 121 carrier in the land, maybe even Delta.

suffuce it to say, that was a huge gaffe. Don't ever trash guys you don't even know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BRA]

Living in base is usually far easier. Saab bases are a little easier for people to consider doing that with. Lebanon, NH (beech), vs Providence, RI (saab) where would you rather pack up and move to? I think most would pick the saab base. But i guess every individual is different. Problem is bases open and close all the time, so commuting can actually be the safer bet at this particular company. A base like syracuse, NY (beech), has lots of flights through out the day so it is more flexible for you to get in there. Shenedoah valley, virginia (beech) has only so many flights...making for less options, especially if you have a 2 or 3 leg commute. It's possibly on a saturday that the last flight in there from PIT is around 5PM. If you work sunday then you are a little more stressed getting back on that saturday. Very little reserve at colgan, and it is usually spread out among all the pilots, with out much regard to seniority.

 

[English]

Re: english, speak for yourself

English , you said,

quote: there is not alot of respect for the place, or for the pilots that worked there!"

To make a blanket remark like that is pure crap. I flew with an FO who was an F-14 pilot (yeah, night carrier landings). and naval academy graduate last year. crap, i wanted to swith epaulets with him .

you can't just throw out such manure when guys like myself have gone on to better jobs no to mention there are probably a few at every 121 carrier in the land, maybe even Delta.

suffuce it to say, that was a huge gaffe. Don't ever trash guys you don't even know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry if I offended you. But, I stick by my comments, based on my experience, that many pilots in the industry look down on Colgan, and on pilots from Colgan. At least, the pilots I have met. I recently started a new job, and when I mentioned to several individual pilots that I had worked at Colgan at one time, I got comments like, "Oh my god, you're kidding!", and "you mean the same company that had the 1900 crash in Hyannis?". I also got much of the same when I flew corporate. So, the word is out there. Now, this doesn't mean Colgan pilots are bad - that wasn't what I said. I certainly was not "trashing" Colgan pilots, as I used to be one of them, and I still have some friends there and from there.

People get the idea that one must not have been good enough to go to a "real" regional if they went to Colgan, that every other "real" airline must have turned them down. I don't say I agree with it or that it is warranted, but the truth is, the feeling is out there. I'm just reporting my experience as a past-Colganite. Good for you that you never experienced it.

Unfortunately, pilots are sometimes labeled because of who they work for. Look at what Mesa pilots are going through.

 

[FlightTraker]

Norksman2,

I don't know about SAAB lines and commuting, I was on the Beech. SAAB lines just seemed to have more days off (at least where I was based) I made the commute from WI to NY without any major problems.




Hey BRA!

Just seeing if you were awake.....haven't seen you post in a while.


FlightTraker

 

[Tony Soprano]

No respect for Colgan Pilots

Now I really feel like Rodney Dangerfield's illegitate son.

 

[climbhappy]

colgan pilots

english,

thanks for qualifying your remarks. no offense taken, just disagree. however, if you have seen it, nothing would suprise me given the egomaniacs carrying ATPs in their wallets.

If I get a strange look , here's how I'm gonna address it.

"you mean to tell me that after 9/11, with 6000 major pilots furloughed, your gonna pass judgment on me for flying for colgan.'

Yeah, what's your story, pal. Because I have learned in 43 years on the planet, if a guy is going to criticize and judge me, he usually has a problem himself. one he's hiding. nobody is perfect, but to not have respect for a guy who is maintaining his career, I am not buying it.

thanks for the response. happy trails!

 

[chperplt]

Lot of ex Colganites at Comair and I haven't heard one remark.

 

[climbhappy]

a cut above.......

the more i considered it, the more i thought that:

to have flown in the kind of weather, operating the kind of equipment, and to have dealt with the kind of mgt we had, well I think we're
actually a cut above the rest...