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Colgan info plz

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I.P. Freley

I like people food
Joined
Dec 26, 2001
Posts
2,038
Okay, gang, got the call from Colgan today to come in and have a little chat. I don't know if any of you are interested in working there, but at least you know they are actually calling people in.

I have no idea what they have in mind for me... I am typed in the Beech, so maybe they want captains? Maybe they are getting more Saabs? Basically there is very little info that I have found about Colgan online, so any input of any kind from any Colgan pilots would be appreciated. I have heard a variety of bad things about them, but never from an actual Colgan pilot.

Anyone have anything worth posting? Current pay scales, domiciles, comments?
 
Colgan scare

I don't fly for them but I know quite a few of their pilots. The pilots are great pilots. It's the equipment that might be the problem.
I do know that there are many cancelled flights due to maintenance.
 
Yeah I've heard some stories about the equipment, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise given the number of 1900C's they have. 1900's don't have a history of holding up particularly well after a couple of years, at least that was the rationale behind CommutAir buying a batch of new ones in 2000.

I have also heard that they try to make you fly busted airplanes and get on your case HARD if you protest. THAT is what I am really worried about, if it's true.

If you know a few Colgan jockeys, could you try to find out what the pay scales are for Cpts and FO's in the various machines? And how hard it is to get the various bases? Upgrade time if they hire me as an FO?

Thanks!
 
Back in July I was offered a position, being a former beech driver they were looking at the beech for me.

MX issues have been something of a problem with them well BEFORE I interviewed. MOst of the issue's seemed to be regarding beech MX.

As I recall the pay was not too great but it is a regional!

Bases were mostly NH and MA that had openings, the senior base was the VA bases (again this is from memory)

They are a true Family owned and run company. The van driver who picked me up had some positives and enough negative about the company. Back in July the weere hiring like gang busters and the no-show ratio was very high (75%), that may say enough...

Training, they pay your hotel but you have no pass privillages and no pay while in training, basically you are not an employee until the checkride. I remember a sign on the wall that basically said you are allowed to go home on the weekends but if your not back your not welcome back.

!900's are almost all C models with I think 1 D model. I don't rmember anyone mentioning street captains though, they may have changed.

Last note, and I do not think this is a make or break but I think they are non-union...

If I am wrong, I hope a Colgan pilot will correct me....

http://www.colganair.com/
 
OK, I can share some first hand experience...I was a captain on the Saab until I was furloughed in September.

My experience at Colgan was pretty good, but I am comparing that to my time at American Eagle. The maintenance was far better on the Saab at Colgan than it was at American Eagle (yes folks, read that sentence again, it sounds unbelievable but it is true). I can private email specific examples of maintenance issues to anyone considering going to work there to fly the Saab. After working at Eagle, I was impressed with the condition of the Saabs at Colgan.

Now, other issues....

The training on the Saab left something to be desired, compared to Eagle anyway. In all fairness, Eagle has been flying the Saab for a long time and pretty much wrote the book on training in the Saab. Colgan hasn't been at it that long. In my new hire class, every Saab FO except for one washed out during simulator training. There were several captain type ride busts during the week of my type ride. I had no problems, but then again I had the benefit of Eagle training behind me, and over 1000 hours in type.

The pay at Colgan is better than Eagle (yes, Eagle is "industry standard"). First year captain at Colgan was $37 an hour. There was no such thing as a first year captain at Eagle but the scale lists it as $35.xx.

In short, I'd go back to Colgan, but not American Eagle. Any other questions, I'd be glad to answer.
 
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They recalled me two days before my type ride with my new company (read the sob story under "Roll Call" forum). I turned them down. What had happened...I was offered another job, called Colgan to find out if I would ever be recalled, three people "in the know" told me to take the other job as a recall was highly unlikely. I took the other job and had to decline the recall.

I did hear they lost four captains recently (not sure why), so I am not surprised to hear they are hiring again.
 
I.P.

They aren't happy when flights are canceled, but if an aircraft is legitimately broken, they don't pressure you to fly it.

Yes, our fleet is comprised of "C" models, but for the most part, other than being rattle traps, they fly pretty well. "D"s might be on the way so the rumor mill goes....

We lost a bunch of the SAAB guys to Shuttle America when we furloughed.. The SAABs will be flying more routes soon, hence the hiring. Airways is giving us more routes every month..

Not a bad company to work for.. Out and backs for most of the bases, and the pay is getting better.
 
I.P., or any others who know,

I sent my stuff to them in September and got back a "sorry, but we're not hiring" letter. Since reading your posts, I fired my stuff back to them again. IP, How long did you have your stuff in with them before today's call?

Also, do they require resignation of seniority?
 
If all you are looking for is flight time and the integrity of your certificate is not in question ....have at it...
I was asked to fly from BOS to MNZ in a plane with windshield heat inop...on a day when practically teh entire east coast was solid IFR with moderate to severe ice accumilation...on refusing to do the trip based on the MEL for the type aircraft,, I had a talking to by Chief Pilot, after him Director of Ops after him Donny..VP Ops all threatening me with termination.....
Prior to this I had been given a broken plane in BHB and was to ferry it to HYA fuel leak problem....less than 1800 lbs on board at midnight...words from the then Chief Pilots mouth " If you have a back up plan I'll not consider it reckless if you touch down with the low level fuel indicator lights on" now you tell me.....this is the Cape and the fog rolls in rather quickly..... The reports were for it to roll in just after midnight.....
So you have incidents.....make up your mind as to how you'd like to protect your certificates.....
 

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