please...................how much do you know about the 121 world, let alone the 121 world at a regional. I can tell you that from my vast 3.5 years of experience (sarcasm), its a job, and the people are great, the airplane is great, the cities are cool but all of that does not pay for my car/loans/food. This isn't a game, its a career and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be

 

Great. Just what the industry needs. Another "will fly for food" guy. Look pal. I love my job, but I love money more. The reason the pay in the industry sucks so much is because of attitudes just like yours. You have no idea what the hell you're talking about. If it is your life long dream to work at Colgan of all places then I feel very sorry for you and your wife and kids if you have any.

 

They are not opening the flood gates or anything. They are running a couple of upgrade classes and a couple of new hire classes. "8 people to be in the upcoming new hire class" that is what I was told by Chuck about an hour ago.

 

Well all this talk the last 6 months about how bad we have it, congressional meetings and demands of the unions about pilot fatigue and very low pay.

Let's see how many actually apply for a 16K per year job on reserve in EWR flying 70+ seaters.... WILL FLY FOR FOOD!

 

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.

 

ok, let's say that money isn't important and that QOL can make up for poverty. well, the QOL at colgan sucks too, so there you go - at colgan, you will get neither money nor QOL.

like dingo said, i can understand that being able to live at home (no commuting) with your family is priceless and contributes greatly (maybe the most) to QOL. however, with our changing base structure you will not be living at home. unless you live near our hub bases.
dont tell me that qol at colgan doesnt suck, i work here. plus, see the "morale at colgan" thread. obviously morale is bad here and QOL has a lot to do with it.

 

Juice, I miss you, haha. Thank you for all your wonderful posts!

Ever notice that since February Colgan pilots have been the ones getting trampled on over and over again? Maybe we are tired of it!

Absolutely!! Everyone can complain about the airline they are at, and how much things suck. But the truth is simply this. The economy is in the sewer right now, and until things improve, guess what ... YOU STILL HAVE A JOB WITH A PAYCHECK, no matter how little it seems. Try being one of the furloughed guys and not getting ANYTHING and see how much life sucks then. At least you still get in the air and get paid, as little as it may be, to do what you love (if you do not anymore, then maybe you should leave). Always remember, the grass always looks greener from the other side. Work is always what you make of it. Right now honestly I complain more than I used to because I am based in IAD instead of IAH, and have a horrible commute to work and it makes things a lot harder. That and the schedules are awful up here!

 

THANK YOU!! Great post!! Everyone bashes everyone else for their job choices, when ... guess what? ... everyone has their reasons for choosing the job that they do.

 

Absolutely correct. Things are changing very rapidly here at Colgan, and I would say about 98% of it is for the better (the other 2% is the outstations closing which a lot of people are pretty upset about).

 

It does not suck for me. I am from Texas and live and work out of Houston. A month back I decided to bid a reserve line for change of pace, called 1 time for 1 flight, thats for the entire month. Rest of the month spent hanging out and relaxing.

Pay Sucks but not as much on the Saab as it does on the Q. Saab pay is a few bucks low compared to other Saab airlines and hopefully our first contract can fix that. The Q pay is the issue and I feel for Q pilots on crap pay up in EWR.

QOL is what you make of it. When I was junior I had to commute from the NE and it sucked, now I am home and it is nice. When i upgrade I will be back up in the NE for a while, it is the business.