Colgan Interview
 

Has anyone interviewed with Colgan lately? My cousin was at the last hiring session in LGA and apparently 8/15 guys failed either the Tech interview or the Sim eval.
My cousin successfully passed all phases and was sent for finger printing and Drug screen (yay for him!!! 1st 121 interview). I know the horror stories of Colgan, but I am excited for him. Anyway, whats the turn around time for him to hear back whether or not they'll offer him a job? I told him drug screen/finger prints is a GREAT sign but he's starting to second guess. Can anyone shed light on this?

Cheers.

A couple days from what I've heard.

Finger printing is a good sign. Don't expect to hear back for about a month. The paperwork has to go to MEM for a review board and then back to VA.

I don't think it'll take month. Mike said they asked him which ground school date he could attend. Dec 7, Dec 14 and Dec 28th. IF offered the job, he said his preference would be the Dec 28th class.

Finger printing is a great sign only problem is for those that have a check ride failure or other "event" pop up that they "forgot about" on pria or back ground check .. Congrats to him !!

I would encourage him to take the earliest class possible. Seniority is everything at an airline, it could be the difference between having a line or being on reserve. Also, someday it could be difference between being able to upgrade to captain or not. Take the Dec 7th class, no questions asked!!!

Very true. Back in late 07' early 08' three classes could mean the difference of being top 15% in base or sitting reserve for 3 years.

I tried to tell him to take a class ASAP but he doesnt want to burn a bridge with his current employer who requires 30 day notice.

He is a Colgan pilot now, he can afford to burn a bridge. (sarcasm).

Well not quite. He still hasnt heard anything back since Thursday regarding his drug test and finger prints. He does currently have a SIDA and AOA badge with his employer, so should be a non issue. The only problem I see is with his FOI, Was that Thai dancer a man or woman??? :D Sorry Mike couldn't resist.

In true Colgan fasion, he won't hear a word and then get an e-mail with his travel arrangements the day before ground school starts.

Good to see a company other than GLA doing this. "GS starts monday, be there"!!

Chuck Colgan told me it could take anywhere from 1 week to 1 month depending on how long it takes to get the background check. They finger printed me and then told me it was too late to take a drug test and they would mail me the information to do it at home. They then told me I should hear back in a week. Now that I am back home, a week sounds too quick seeing how they have not sent me the information for drug testing and I will probably have to send them several emails for them to remember to send it out. Also, it is a holiday this week so I do not understand how they can have a class for December 7 when Chuck told me they would never give anyone less than 2 weeks notice about a class date.

Technically, if you interviewed Nov 17-18th, Dec 7th is two weeks. But I don't know anyone that would return home and put in their two weeks notice without getting a phone call or email with ground school arrangements.

Why would someone leave another job to go to Colgan??? Heck even McDonalds pays more.

please don't burn any bridges, especially for an opportunity to work for colgan!!!!

You ask: 'Why would someone leave another job to go to Colgan?' Why would you come on here and even ask that? Are you still in the industry? Why? If money is the only motivator, then do something else as aviation is not the place for you. How many people on here have this kind of mentality? If I really wanted to be a millionaire, I'd do something totally different. Colgan, like most regionals are nothing more than a stepping stone for most pilots. Some people in this industry crack me up... :rolleyes:

Agreed!!! MY cousin is totally using this as a stepping stone. He currently works for SWA out of DAL and knows many many people with connections. Hell he has lunch with Herb and Colleen a couple times a month! They even interviewed him as the job was posted internally first. Only thing that kept him from getting the job was total time and time in type.This is also why he doesn't want to burn this bridge and quit last minute. This is where Colgan comes in... Get it :rolleyes:

Some people in this industry are the reason why this industry doesn't pay well and has horrible employee treatment. You may be one of them.

Aviation is great, I love it, so do most pilots. But I go to work to earn a paycheck. Theres aviation, then theres being pushed to fly into dangerous conditions on your 15th hour of duty in a questionably airworthy airplane, while coming down with a cold, after sleeping in an airport crewroom and not having seen your family in a week. Thats not great, fun, or even remotely enjoyable. And nobody does that for the "magic of flying".

Some people in this industry crack me up... :rolleyes:

But we do it as a stepping stone to better things right? ;)

Yep, some people in this industry totally crack me up. Am I one of those guys that go to work no matter what? No.. not even no but HELL NO. I know my limitations and follow them. CT or scheduling or whatever it's called at your airline doesn't have the right to push anyone around and tell me to do something that's illegal, unsafe, or not healthy nor will I allow them to instill fear of losing my job over me telling them what I will and wont do.

Btw, I put my spare time (sparetime! LOL riight) in with the union to make this a better place for myself and my brother pilots. I busted my ass with my free time to better it for everyone. Can I negotiate my own salary when I get a job? Nope, but I would if I could. Do I need the stepping stone to get to a company that's a step above our regionals? Absolutely... just like the majority of other folks here.

I left a great air ambulance job to head back to the airlines... Why? because the air ambulance job had no future. I would make the same amount today as I'd make in 10 years. I'd also get to fly the same Cessna 414 today that I'd fly in 10 years. QoL is what we make of it. If the dude wants to go to Colgan to get elsewhere, more power to him. But, don't throw stones when you live in a glass house.

OP, sorry to threadjack. Good luck on getting hired and hope you enjoy your regional career.

Anyone have a thought on what might happen with the upgrade time when the companies merge. Just curious (assuming the airlines continue the direction they are now moving) if the upgrade time will go up or down if seniority list are combined.

Upgrade time will dramatically increase once all three lists are combined.

Any idea when this is projected to happen?

When? Not 100% sure. Maybe in the next year...but the Union already took a "snapshot" of the seniority lists over the summer, so anyone just coming on board will be tacked to the bottom of a very big pile.

So for someone interested in Colgan (only because of the faster upgrade times), should be cautious? I wonder, if the upgrade time is at 2 years now, what it will go to once the merge.. Any thoughts?

Take into consideration the following before you decide Colgan is somewhere you want to work:

> There are ~1500 FOs under the Pinnacle umbrella who want those upgrade slots too
> Even though more Q400s are on the way, Saabs are being parked
> Pinnacle management has stated their goal is to eliminate the Colgan name
> The joint contract negotiations "aren't going well"
> The merger and seniority list combination has potential to get really ugly. Especially ugly for anyone on the bottom of the list


I don't have a dog in this fight. I just pay attention to it all because I find it interesting. But in my opinion, those quick upgrades are gone. Things are going to get really bad for everyone involved, and especially bad for those at the bottom.

Go somewhere that treats its employees better and pays better. You'll probably upgrade just as quick there.

I was at the LGA interviews and got the conditional offer pending background check, no paperwork issues etc. I don't have my ATP written so they said I'd have to get that before I was given a class date, and my 1st class expires in Jan so I need a new one of those as well.

If you have questions feel free to PM.

Congrats!!!!

Anyone know if the class on Dec. 7 is for the Saab or the Q?

Q. (Min character limit)

SWA doesn't have a time in type requirement. Nice try though.

time in type meaning turbine time... and yes they do have that requirement.

Time in type does not equal turbine time does not equal turbine PIC which is the requirement.

From what Chuck told us the December classes are Q, 1 Jan class for the Saab, and 1 Feb class for the Q

where is colgans school house?

Memphis, TN. Followed by either St Louis or Houston for Sim. Need to have ATP written and 1500/100 for mins (so I'm told)

I was at the last interview session in LGA and only 3/35, yeah that's not an exaggeration, passed the sim evaluation. I wasn't one of them. Procedures and instrument skills are not the problem, but being expected to fly a beech 1900 full motion sim having no experience in anything like that is a hell of a challenge. Went 3/4 scale deflection on the approach and that was that. If you're going there for an interview, I would highly recommend trying to get some sim practice in ahead of time. Luckily I already have another job and I was just trying to keep my options open, but good luck to the rest of you who go!

that was the way it was back in May when I went to the interview.. about 3 or 4 only made it through the whole thing out of the 30 there. Everyone it seemed was furloughed 121 except me and a CFI or two.

If you can get yourself into a a cheap flight school sim you can practice. Find the fastest plane (at your flight school it may be a baron) and fly the approach at 150 knots or so.

In the sim during the interview take control of the situation and configure early and be at ref by the marker. It is much easier to fly an approach at around 110 than it is to fly it at 180.