Colgan Airlines

Airdale

Airdale

Well-Known Member
I've been researching Colgan airlines for quite some time now. I have just reached their minimums and am thinking about applying. Can anyone shed some light on the ABE (Allentown, PA) location and how junior/senior the base is? What are the chances to get that base?

And if the base is relatively senior, would I be able to commute from Central Jersey to that location to fly out to where ever I am based? It would be about an 1hr 15 minute drive from where I presently live. I enjoy flight instructing, but things are painfully slow right now and I need to fly and get paid. Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
PM Seggy. He's commuting from near Manmouth Executive Airport to Albany without too much complaint (not that Mark would ever complain about anything).
 
Mark wouldn't know about ABE because it's a Saab base.....I don't know about Saab senior bases, but at Colgan there aren't any true senior bases for FOs. The senior Beech CA base(s) are in Maine...Bar Harbor mainly.

Don't plan on getting the Saab because you may get the Beech.....
 
Don't mean to threadjack, but it seems to be in the same vein as the thread.

How do you guys like it at Colgan? Is it a bitch working around the weather that low, do you guys have decent wx avoidance equipment?

So far Colgan is my first choice. However, I'm afraid I won't be able to get in. I've busted three checkrides. They were early on in my flying career but I've heard Colgan is really picky about this.
 
I never failed one, so I couldn't tell ya. And we have the same wx equip. as anyone else. Minus a lightning strike indicator.....Im not sure who has that. Used to have one on a Baron I flew. And what do you mean about the weather? Do you mean that we fly low on most of our routes, or that we work in low weather mins a lot? Either way, if you're going to be an airline pilot neither should bother you. In fact, I love it.
 
FlyingNole said:
I never failed one, so I couldn't tell ya. And we have the same wx equip. as anyone else. Minus a lightning strike indicator.....Im not sure who has that. Used to have one on a Baron I flew. And what do you mean about the weather? Do you mean that we fly low on most of our routes, or that we work in low weather mins a lot? Either way, if you're going to be an airline pilot neither should bother you. In fact, I love it.
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By the weather I mean that you guys are flying turbo props down below 20,000. I'm not sure what you mean by the same equipment everyone else is flying with. I'm used to picking through actual blind down here in Florida (no radar on board), always waiting for the next thunderstorm. Just hoping that the next place I work has decent wx radar. I love actual, I just like to know where the thunderstorms are.
 
Bro, I'm from Florida. I logged over 100hrs of solid IFR time while flying down there. FLying in bumpy stuff doesn't bother me. Its fun. If you're from FL, it should be a non-issue for you. In fact, it should be a relief to have any kind of wx radar onboard. Its not like every flight is solid IFR getting rocked in CB clouds. Weather Radar is weather radar...We see green/yellow/red like everyone else who has it onboard. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure its a 121 rule that there must be wx detection/avoidence equip onboard to be legal. Besides, do you think all us Colgan pilots just go up haphazardly without regard to the wx?
 
wheelsup said:
hey, I'm obviously not the only one that likes the warm-fuzzy feeling that having radar gives you :).
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I'm with you there. My Dad is a former F-14 driver and current senior capt. at a major. His eyes got big when I told him we don't fly with any wx radar on board. He told me he doesn't get close to any kind of convective activity in a 737 let alone a 30 year old twin.

I was pretty sure it's a 121 rule, I was just curious what kind of equipment you guys fly with. I've heard rumors that great lakes doesn't even have autopilots.
 
You don't need an autopilot in a 1900D, or any King Air for that matter. Talk about a rock solid stable machine.
 
wheelsup said:
hey, I'm obviously not the only one that likes the warm-fuzzy feeling that having radar gives you :).
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Dude I'm just sick of you and Joe going back and forth about this BS. One of you keeps bringing this crap up and then the next thing that always seems to happen is the thread creeps over into a freight v. regional debate.
 
Okay....so back to the original topic.

I'll pm Seggy. I'm just in a debate right now of trying to get on there or instruct for awhile longer. The pay and the extra bs I deal with now as a CFI is really driving me nuts. If I could get on with Colgan and make things work with commuting to Allentown PA, I'd rather do that then keep instructing here.
 
Airdale said:
Okay....so back to the original topic.

I'll pm Seggy. I'm just in a debate right now of trying to get on there or instruct for awhile longer. The pay and the extra bs I deal with now as a CFI is really driving me nuts. If I could get on with Colgan and make things work with commuting to Allentown PA, I'd rather do that then keep instructing here.
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I personally wouldn't jump on the next best opportunity if it doesn't fit your lifestyle. Not saying it'll happen, but I'd bet your life would be worse off if you happened to get some obscure colgan base then if you stayed instructing.

Try to think worst case scenario here. Worse case right now is you keep instructing (this isn't a bad thing IMO) and come home every night.
 
Airdale said:
Okay....so back to the original topic.

I'll pm Seggy. I'm just in a debate right now of trying to get on there or instruct for awhile longer. The pay and the extra bs I deal with now as a CFI is really driving me nuts. If I could get on with Colgan and make things work with commuting to Allentown PA, I'd rather do that then keep instructing here.
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I'll talk to you all you want about Colgan. It is what it is. I'm pretty happy here, but it is not for everyone. Where are you instructing?

I would much rather talk on the phone about Colgan, I am lazy when it comes to typing :) Give me a call at 732-306-7795.
 
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