Originally Posted by cloudkicker1981
100% agree with you, I dont know were Weaclrs get's his info from but there are plenty of guys with enough time and seniority to hold captain. Their just not needed.
I disagree. There's not. They are holding back Beech captains from transition because there is not enough Beech FO's that have the time. We are currently upgrading FO's over a range of 40 seniority numbers (15% of the seniority list) searching for guys with the time and good PC's as FO's. And I'm getting called constantly to fly, along with a couple of other captains I know (I live in base, so as we know, that means you are reserve when scheduling is looking for a pilot).
Originally Posted by cloudkicker1981
After reading all your post weaclrs and how you state what WE look for in an interview, I believe your just spreading colgan propaganda.......Actually you sound a lot like BRINK! But I really dont care anymore, I'm so use to getting bent over left and right by this company that I'm starting to like it. I do like it here, but dont try to come off as Mr. Rogers because nobody who is really flying the line here at colgan is that FUking happy! Sweating my balls off waiting for a push in LGA, and arguing with Screw scheduling about rest requirements.
No, not Brink. And not management. I look nothing like a Colgan! But I admit it freely. I like this company. And call me crazy, but I like the flying...a lot. And yes I'm sitting in LGA on hot days too. Thinking about heading for IAH. It's cooler. Seriously, Colgan has its issues. I'm in my own current tiff with crew scheduling (I think it's funny pilots at other airlines call their crew scheduling "screw scheduling" too). But overall it's one of the better companies I've worked for, both in and out of aviation. It is what it is. I'm sorry if bringing a positive note about flying for Colgan or any regional airline bends you. There are a lot of us here happy to be flying the line at Colgan.
Originally Posted by cloudkicker1981
Almost all the colgan pilots i fly with are cool and great guys...
It's not by chance. It's because we (I'm asked to be involved in interviewing on a regular basis) try hard to hire pilots with great attitudes. The interview process is designed to produce this result. Once the candidate is in the interview, we are focused on determining if they have a great attitude and would be a good person to work with. As long as they have the basic skills, we can train them. But we can't train attitude.
Originally Posted by cloudkicker1981
Bottom line Colgan is not worth coming to at this point because the pay sucks for second year and the upgrades are not 1yr anymore! That is why we can't hire people.
I disagree. I think Colgan is very much worth coming to. We are currently upgrading guys from March of '05. That's still just 16 months. And I read the opinion above about 2 - 3 year upgrades. Is that possible? Yes. But not likely. Now that the Colgan siblings have the company from their Dad, they will continue to grow. They have demonstrated desire and ability to expand. There have been several opportunities in the past nine months and of course a big one is still out there to be decided. I wouldn't count them out at all. And that will mean more upgrade opportunities than just attrition. Second year FO pay is definitely an issue. I've been told directly by MF that they are aware of it. Whether they do anything about it or not, I don't know. Like I said, Colgan has its issues too.
The reason for the lack of candidates is there aren't many left. Most of the flight schools are tapped out. I've talked with recruiters at other regionals, from XJT to AE to SkyWest. All are very concerned and seeing exactly the same trend. And the FAA has reported that new student starts are down sharply over the past 18 months (more than 40%).