I have a wife and family and I don't just "fly for food." I was hired at colgan when 3 places were hiring: colgan, mesa, and expressjet. Unfortunately for me, expressjet didn't call until I was mid way though initial ground. So be it; maybe my loss. I was hired one month after "joeymeetballs, aka saabarooski." We both know each other and had different lives and experiences. I just came back from Iraq and wanted the outstation thing home with my family. Am I a bottom feeder??? His experience under the old "colgan" was much different than mine. He spent nights sleeping in hangars in ALB and vans in ABE. I was in CHO living a different life. I had a good life. 3 on, 4 off, and home every night with my family. The family I didn't see while I was gone 2+ years while I was overseas. I didn't come here for quick upgrade and PIC .I already had that. I wanted the time at home and a stable flying job.

Colgan was a huge dichotomy then of good and bad, mom and pop. You like your job, but you like money more. Guess what? I like this industry more. The real reason this industry sucks is because people like you come into it only for the money. People that want the money are willing to pay 100K for an 18K job. You should be in it because you like the industry, because you love flying, because you love you family. I'm not preaching taking the only or first crap job that comes up including colgan. We all have our reasons for taking 121 jobs. Don’t blame me for taking a job at a company that gives me a good QOL and time home from my family that 12 years in the military didn’t, and I won't blame you for "loving the money more."

This place is damn near far from perfect, but I'm sure no regional is perfect. It's all perspective; looking up, out and away from where we are currently. Fighting among ourselves over who's better, while the real goal of unity and forward progress slips away.