Just to correct the record, JS was a SAAB Capt. at CHQ. She failed the ERJ transition twice, resigned and went onto Colgan as a BE1900 F/O then progessed thru to the "Q". I don't know about her failing 4 Q PCs, but she did bust the initial type ride for being out of standards for the 0-flap landing. She is actually a very nice person, but a lot more nervous than I expected for someone with her experience level even back in 04' when I was a new-hire 1900 F/O tdy to AOO and flew with her.
The hearings were an embarassment for managment across the board with a few exceptions, and it was painful to hear the reaction by some of the 3407 victim's family members to MF testimony in particular. I wouldn't be to pleased with the lawyers that prepared them for the hearing, because they had a list of the points to be covered in the hearing. MF appeared to take the questions addressed to her as a personal affront, and that is a huge problem for someone in a VP slot.
Colgan Air does have some really, really good pilots too. I might sound prejudice, but the guys that flew the 1900 are darn good pilots almost to a man (and woman). Flown with some darn good SAAB drivers too, but you're going to have a few bad apples in every organization, people that slip thru the cracks and get carried by the company. Ultimately, this could cause our undoing if it isn't addressed and addressed very soon.
We must work extra hard to restore the faith and trust of the flying public, our industry partners and fellow pilots. This will prove difficult over the coming months with our pilots also going thru negotiations for our first contract. Our managment team MUST view a unionized pilot group as an asset and work in a partnership to solve the company's systemic problems, re-build trust and develop a corporate culture that puts safety, well-being of the flying public and employees first above all other corporate goals. This CANNOT be lip service, it must be a sincere goal of both parties. I am willing to maintain an open mind for the time-being, however, if past history were used to predict events. I'd not hold out much hope for anything, but a "war" between management and the pilots.