IAD Baseing
 

So I'm currently at ATP and will be done in January. I'm going to instruct through June at the earliest and possibly longer. I'm planning on instructing to 600-800 hours and I'll finish with 200+ multi. I am getting married in June and my fiance is a United Flight Attendant (I was one myself too for awhile). She wants to transfer to DC and we don't want either of us to have to commute.

So what is the best regional for being sure of a DC base?

Thanks!

NOT MESA AT IAD. Don't make that enormous mistake. Choose Air Wisconsin at DCA or Republic.

I've already been threatened with bodily harm by my finance (former Comair FA) and all her pilot friends at Comair plus my instructor if I go to Mesa.

Does anyone know how junior AWAC and Republic's DCA bases are? Course AWAC's junior bases could change with their two new bases opening right about when I'll start applying to airlines.

colgan will prob have a base there by the time you apply

that's great but pick a good company to work for. thats good you've been steered away from mesa. i'd steer away from any company that's par with mesa.

beauty is in the eye of the beholder

And what mighty fine company do you work for???

ExpressJet with our industry leading contract. Sure first year pay still sucks, but we've got one of the most comprehensive contracts in the regional world. What does this mean? Our second year FOs make as much per hour as Colgan Beech Captains. Real time on line trip trading and pay protection. Very good maintenance. Just a few of the things Colgan pilots decided to turn down by staying union free, and things that EVERY company should have.

Not trying to attack or stir you up, just hoping that you realize you should have gotten a union to get an acceptable contract and pay rates for those Q400s.

Beauty is in the eye of the ALPA CONTRACT holder.

talk to mesa guys about their alpa contract just cause we could have had alpa they prob wouldnt have accomplised anything

When are you guys going to realize that ALPA is only as strong as your LOCAL MEC.. ALPA national dont make or vote for you.. YOUR LOCAL MEC does that what ALPA does is BACK them up..RANT OVER

Look for a union on property at colgan in a year. we are a growing company with lots of new things happening. Add a contract to that and you get a great place to come build some pic.

Well excuse me mr. expressjet first officer.... Unbenounced to you that I spent several years of my life at another ALPA carrier and had all those luxuries you speak of. And I probabally have more time in type in that shiny little jet of yours than you and your capt combined. Come and fly a turboprop... it will put some hair on your chest...

Damn right these RJ Boys are just that :D Flying w/an old Prop guy now and havin' a blast!

You seriously have an unhealthy obsession on this topic.:rolleyes:

What are you talking about? He is being perfectly reasonable dude...

More time in type... congrats! I'd love to come fly a turboprop and have chuck put food stamps in my pocket. Yes, please.

Maybe unhealthy, but in my eyes steering people away from crapbag companies helps our industry. Having pilots apply and work at the bottom feeders only harms those at the top. The cheap bastards get the flying.

I guess thats capitalism though.

hey if you flew to the same 6 airports over and over again you would slowly lose braincells too. work for colgan and fly 74 seats. work for mesa fly 70 seats and make more money? your worse then mesa.... a mesa pilot can say "hey at least i dont work for colgan." some people are willing to undercut the industry (more then mesa) to get quick pic time. that is really their only thing going for them. These people are also so naive to believe that at 1000 pic they are skipping into an interview with a major. If they ever do get to a major then they could be furloughed by their previous employer with more pilots on their "fast track" willing to work for peanuts.

and they defend it to the rest of us thinking we will have sympathy. mind boggling!

Your post smacks more of bitterness over Colgan coming into EWR than anything else...

And an industry leading Ch 7 bankruptcy or buy-out within 12 months. XJet's not the place to be right now, sorry to bust your bubble, brozzzzeffffff. Talk when you've got job security. Colgan might not have a contract but the company (Pinnacle) makes tons of money and you've got job security and it's GROWING... you guys are looking at the tip of the iceberg here. Most captains I talk to have an excellent quality of life with outstation basing, a family, and quick. You'll be home every night if that's what you want with outstation basing (so you can enjoy your new wife) and you will learn to fly an airplane that requires skill and an actual sim ride on the interview. Colgan's training has some of the best instructors and highest pass rates. Your seniority will build fast and with your times, you'll be captain quick. You can also upgrade to a Q400. If you don't brush anyone the wrong way and like living in base, you'll have a good time. A lot of the guys that post negatively on here are grouchy stuck in a maintenance base.

You won't hear a lot of complaints coming from captains on the line at Colgan -- just on here and in MX bases... but you hear Mesa pilots whining every day... do a little bit of research... Colgan's management doesn't hate the pilots -- they just run the company at redline.

And sorry if the industry realized 50 seat RJs isn't profitable -- welcome to the turboprop era... the 74 seat Q can be run at lower break-evens than your 50 seat ERJ.

Are you two really going to get into a ****ing contest on which regional is better? :rolleyes: It's like arguing who has a better case of VD.

Haha no urinating contests with anyone -- just straightening out a couple things :D... and yes... a regional's a regional's a regional... I'm pulling out of aviation as a whole after my contract's up... nothing to do with Colgan but I've got other plans.

my point exactly

I think the Q400 is a great idea I never said it wasn't. Of course it will be profitable on routes like EWR-ALB, BDL, PVD, MHT whatever. My point is that you guys are flying it for so little, and that is one of the reasons its so cheap. "the 74 seat Q can be run at lower break-evens than your 50 seat ERJ." You're right! This is true due to two reasons. 1) Fuel prices 2) Lower paid pilots (you).

"the company (Pinnacle) makes tons of money and you've got job security and it's GROWING..." Why does it make tons of money? Answer that for me please? Is it because Colgan and Pinnacle pilots work for much less than other regionals? Nahhh its probably because you have such an efficient operation with some of the best maintenance, scheduling and management out there! Thats it. If everything is so great, why do Pinnacle pilots want to strike right now? Is it their excellent second year pay?

Don't bash XJT because you think we don't have job security. You're right, our future is a bit shakey because we continue to be underbid by bottom feeders. As far as I am concered thats a direct attack on my QOL and pay. If you think we have it too good, or are over compensated, let me know. I can email you our contract. Read it and then tell me if you think Colgan is simply the best. Sure outstation basing may be great, but there are numerous things in the XJT contract that beat that outright.

Your thinking is outlandish because you think that because you work for less, you are better. Correct me if I am wrong. This is not a personal attack at all, just trying to get you to stop thinking that XJT is bad because we have better than average QOL and pay.

No one is saying one regional is better than another. XJT and colgan are both regional carriers and management is laughing all the way to the bank while you guys argue like children.

My problem with you is that you have the b.a.l.l.s. to come on here and bash colgan pilots because you think we are undercutting the industry and affecting your job security and QOL. We all have families to support and bills to pay.

According to you I should quit my job and be an FO again at a higher paying airline because you think im undercutting this industry. I'm here to get my time and get out. Period.

Get a life pal.......

You have basically proved my point three times in your post. You think that Colgan's pilots have the same quality of life, work rules and pay rates as ExpressJet. ha! You are only in to for yourself and therefore don't understand why underbidding hurts the guys at the top and helps the lower paid guys at the bottom.

While you're getting your time and getting out, where are you headed? Continental? To fly the big ones? To me, the Q400 is a big one with Continental colors, that should be mainline. Headed to NWA? Or just Compass? That's where mainline's growth is these days. Q400s and E175s. In the meantime, while you're getting your time you are flying passengers around the airline system. This isn't some flight school time building internship. This my profession.

You just don't see that. You see through Colgan shades. You are only in it for yourself.

I guess the perspective over there inside Colgan is a lot different than from the outside looking in. Bottom feeder company pride I'd call it.

Wow this is even more sad then anything I have ever posted. I'm half a moron and even I can compose a more well-written argument. You type like a three-year old

So proud of your collapsible landing gear airplane, well see how proud you guys are on pay day.:p

You give yourself too much credit, Mr. SAABaroowski :D

Bro, I have flown both the SAAB and the ERJ, you have not:eek:, so I can tell you from experience landing in 30kt x-winds is more challenging in the ERJ then the very very forgiving SAAB.......

As far as Colgan having the best instructors, how would you know?, how many 121 programs have you been to before? Im not going to sit here and bash Colgan, I have done enough of it in the past, but don't come on here and tell me how "demanding" it is to fly ABE-IAD in a Auto-Pilot equipped SAAB. Also I wouldn't bet on the fact that we will be bankrupt in a year.

Also, I am glad for you, Colgan is growing, but in reality is it really a positive that an airline with no work rules, no union, no contract, and low pay be growing? Meanwhile an airline like Expressjet is treading water (according to you)? Stop being so ignorant and learn a little about our company and the challenges we face, as well as our relationship with our management.

How long have you been at Colgan anyway?

Do you do put food on my table?
Do you pay my bills?
Do you know me personally?
NO....
So why should I give a s.h.i.t. about you or your career?

The same b.s. is going on at the major level as well, how many different carriers fly the same equipment for less pay than the other one? Why don't you go over to the major forums and post about all the LCC's and call them bottom feeders?

When I was at eagle, we lost 10 of our RJ's to another carrier, which affected my QOL and upgrade. But did I come on here personally attack someone from that other airline and call them a bottom feeder? No I did not. I am a man and accepted the fact that there was nothing I could do to change management's decision and moved on.

You on the other hand are insecure, and you feel you need to better yourself by insulting others on a public forum. You feel threatened and you dont know how to handle yourself.

Little do you know about me or my carreer, but yet you have the arrogance to insult me and think that I am not the least one bit a professional when I show up for work day in and day out. I have spent years of sacrifice, thousands of dollars, and time away from my family to get to where I am today.

This is my profession and I am a professional. I have earned the four strips on my shoulders? Have you?

Spoken like a true SCAB, and it doesn't take too much to earn 4-stripes at an airline that is hiring street CA's..............:rolleyes:

Please educate yourself on the definition of a S.C.A.B. before you call someone one.
Although I may not be working at a union shop right now, I am a card carring member.

I said "SPOKEN" like a true scab, please learn the definition of a metaphor:p

No because my rating was just givin to me right? I didn't have to take a type ride, complete IOE, and an observation with the FAA. Ur a moron.:eek:

Work for who ever you wanna work, base where ever you wanna be based as long as you single you are FREE bird. The moment you get married is like if you signed up a bad contract:eek:, however this contract is FOREVER. :mad:


FLY SAFE :D

"ur a moron"

-you sure about that sweet cheeks?:p

One more thing your fiancé I am assuming she is not a senior mama and se wanna transfer to DC. There is no way in hell she is going to hold a line and she will be forced to fly reserve and I believe UAL FA have to do the three airports IAD DCA and BWI

tHiNk BeFoRe YoU GeT mArRiEd