Yeah, the guy did have kids so I'm sure he used FMLA for those sick calls.

On the other end of the extreme...when I was in class last year a guy upgrading to Captain pointed out a fellow from his class picture on the wall in the training center. He told me that guy got fired for calling in sick 11 or so times his first month! Those are some excessive sick calls...but I still think there had to be other issues going on.

I flew with VJ recently, our union rep here at Eagle. He told me that despite what many people think..the union does indeed protect proabtionary pilots. In fact he told me he had stood up for 2 probie pilots within the last month alone and saved their jobs from immenent termination.