When hiring picks up again........
 

Read this and remember it.
Colgan is again tightening fatigue rules : City & Region : The Buffalo News

Its not all about PIC time. Massive turnover is coming in this industy that will allow you to move no matter what regional you go to. Stay safe!

Excellent....I am very happy this article was written. Glad to see pilots standing up for what is going on. Keep it up guys!

But what is going to be done about this new BS fatigue policy Colgan has implemented????

The FAA is too beauracratic to give a rip!! If it costs money, we don't care!! Alot of them are just coasting into retirement and looking at the $$$$ that is going to be their pension.

We need to be careful what we wish for. The article was well written and everyone's complaint is very valid. However, the abuse of the no questions asked policy by non-professionals has resulted in an overreaction by the company. I am by no means taking the side of management, but I can see why their approach has changed.
The comments by the readers after the article are interesting also. The public perception of our job is very skewed. They believe that we are calling in fatigued to manipulate our schedules, feeling the sniffles, or just because we don't care about them.
Anyway, I know that my comments will not be appreciated, but I am just saying that if we, as a pilot group, want to stand up against abuse by the company, we need to maintain OUR professionalism.

I think a well structured union/mgmt review board could eliminate the worst of the offenders. Opponents will say pilots will still feel pressured to fly fatigued if they will be second-guessed (even by their own union reps), but there should be some pressure to get a good night's sleep and show up to do the job you're being paid to do. The delicate part is finding the sweet spot where abusers are eliminated but people who occasionally find themselves fatigued don't fear harassment for playing it safe.

No, no. If it costs money, throw a party!! Don't forget! :)

Agreed WUF. We have to be professional. No well structured union anything is going to fix this. We have to conduct ourselves as Professionals individually if we are to be treated as such collectively. If you aren't fatigued, don't call in as such. If you are, do! Be consistent and nobody will question your decision (eventually).

Agreed, if you want to be treated as a professional, act like one. Colgan's new policy shouldn't hurt the pilot who calls in fatigued only when they are, it will only hurt the ones who use it as a crutch. If you feel you are constantly fatigued, not tired, you might want to look at altering your life habbits or look into a new profession since this is how it will be until the day you retire.

It isn't too hard for the company to determine abuse...

A pilot who has significantly more fatigue calls than his peers needs to scrutinized. Maybe he needs an attitude adjustment or a lifestyle change...or maybe he's just on reserve and getting abused.

Maybe allow one or two fatigue freebees per year, then treat it as a sick call?

What type of professional does Colgan think they are hiring for $23,000 a year in one of the most expensive domiciles in the country?

Their "industry average" pay is a complete and utter disgrace. The guy who testified as such should be educated on how much other pilots get paid or historically how much pilots were compensated to be professionals.