What would you do?
 

Here is my situation. I was offered a class date with Colgan on March 9th which I'm really looking forward to. I also have a friend at Pinnacle who is walking my resume in and said he guarantees I'll get an interview because he knows one of the captains on the interview committee. Life at Colgan means that I would have to commute from MSP to who knows where because that is where my fiancee lives. One the other hand Pinnacle would allow me to live in base eventually but I dont have an interview or a class date there yet. What would you do? Take the guaranteed class date, or hold off for Pinnacle and have a better QOL if I get offered the job. Just looking for some insight from those who have had to make this decision in the past.

Does Colgan have a training contract? If so, find out when it takes effect. Here at GLA, we have a 15 month contract that doesn't begin until the day you pass your checkride. We had a guy leave class for SkyWest...no hard feelings from me for doing that, good for him. If Colgan is similar, I would head to class, and be prepared to leave for a better opportunity at Pinnacle if it came up...especially if that opportunity happens to be an actual job offer, not just an interview. Tough call, though...I'd say a big factor is how much you want to live in base. If living in base is priority one, I wouldn't even go to Colgan.

i would also factor in that colgan doesnt seem like a very commuter friendly company. i dont know from first hand experience thats just the impression ive gotten from others on these boards.

Go where you really want to go. I made the mistake of jumping at the first job I was offered because I was tired of instructing. If Pinnacle is where you really want to be, wait. If not, you'll be miserable at Colgan. Commuting to reserve sucks.

Colgan = mostly outstation basing = local trips = commuter nightmare = stay away or your life will be hell...and they will come after you for breaking the training contract

Colgan is going to be running Dash8-Q400's out of Newark, 15 I think I heard. Not sure where they will base them. If they get more aircraft upgrade will come pretty quick. If nothing else seniority and base choice should be quick.

They are going to base them in EWR ( I think) I know CAL doesnt stand for that outstation basing bull****, go to the airline that is close to where you live, and good work rules, of which COLGAN has neither. Going to an airline for upgrade isnt the smartest thing, this industry is wacky. I live in BASE and it is a completely different job when you dont have to commute, and it is a completely different job when you are pay protected, and fly nice new equiptment, and the list goes on and on..............COLGAN IS MISERABLE

Saab, my lovely company found a way to get around that. We are going to have a base in Corpis Cristi(sp?) for CAL. I wish they would force that rule on us.

yeah think Tyler is one for COlgan and SDF for CHQ flyinf for CAL. Let me say CAL "prefers" not to have outstation basing hahaha, How is CRP, to live in anyway I have only done a turn there

Nice town, good overnight but definitely "northern Mexico"...if you catch my drift... Not as bad as Laredo or Harlingen though.

And to answer the question of the guy who started the thread, consider this:
Pilot A and Pilot B both work for the same flight school. Pilot A jumps at the first thing to come along, in this case Colgan. Pilot B on the other hand, waits an additional 6 months until he can go where he wants, in this case Pinnacle. Fast forward a year. Pilot A is two-legging it, flying older, broken down airplanes to the same 6 airports day in and day out and generally hating life. After a year of that Pilot A is fed up and decides to jump to an airline with a base in his hometown, better pay and better equipment (in this case Pinnacle). Pilot B on the other hand has been at Pinnacle for 6 mos, building seniority, living in base and generally having a better regional airline experience. Now, Pilot A gets hired at Pinnacle 6 months and 200 pilots later than Pilot B. Who did the smarter thing? Some people will tell you "take the first thing, get on the seniority list, seniority means everything!" Thats a load of BS. It's meaningless if you jump ship after a year, you don't take your seniority with you from airline to airline. So unless you are at an airline you want to stay at for 5-10 years, enough time to upgrade and build a few thousand hours TPIC, then you are wasting your time.