I believe I have everything that I need to get started. Thanks for the information! Onward and upward!
Ben,
It sounds like you have a good plan. Since you have the time, I would consider taking some written tests if you can. The tests are required, but taking them early is optional. Get Ahead By Taking FAA Knowledge Tests Before Starting ATP / ATP Flight School
Tory
Tory,
Thanks for the reply. I read about taking the written exams earlier on a different thread. I downloaded the study app they suggested, I’m gonna order the Jeppesen books too. I plan on starting those here soon. I don’t know what tests there are, but I’m assuming they’re very similar to the written tests that I took for my A&P licenses.
Ben
I know i’m very late but, like most of the other people here I got a dui. I received my dui back in October I was 18 and am currently 19. Unfortunately I found my passion for aviation after taking a ride in my friend’s cesna in January. I’ve read through this whole forum and I realize that the best thing for me to do is just put time between me and the conviction, but I got accepted into Eastern Kentucky University’s Aviation program so I’m pretty much just wondering if it would be the best option to move forward with the program or if It’ll be no use due to how recent the conviction is. I really want to be able to fly and obviously I messed up big time but I’m pretty much just looking for guidance in the best and most logical path to becoming a commercial pilot. I look forward to reading your replies,
Josh
Josh,
It sounds like you already know the answer. Time tends to heal things, but you better have a darn perfect record moving forward. Of course whether you were charged or not, you were also underage drinking.
I am curious, what did the admissions counselors and pilot mentors at Eastern Kentucky U. say?
Chris
Josh,
Step 1 is seeing how long till you can get a medical. Consult aviation attorney or HIMS AME.
Can’t Solo without it.
Best of luck,
Chris F
Josh, you’re kinda between a rock and a hard place with your situation. On the plus side, you’re still very young so you have plenty of time to put between your DUI and a potential aviation career. On the downside, the pilot shortage and the resulting hiring boom will most likely be over by then and the airlines may revert back to their old standards, where a single DUI is game over.
There are tons of threads about this and tons of information all over here and the rest of the internet, so you can search and read to get the full scoop, but I’ll summarize my experience and opinions with this whole process
There are a couple pdfs linked in this thread for AMEs to determine whether to issue a medical or to defer, look a them and apply them to yourself, youll get an idea whether youll get a medical on the spot or not (most likely not, with such a fresh DUI)
First thing you need to do is have a consulation with an AME about the feasibility of getting your first class medical. Now, this DUI being so fresh is gonna work against you, because he’ll have to go down the list of yes/no questions to see whether he’ll defer you. If/when you get deferred to Oklahoma, be ready for a nightmare of a back and forth with the FAA. I’m not sure how they deal with alcohol DUIs (mine was for weed, I had to do a bunch of 48hr notice drug tests), but you will more or less have to convince the FAA that the person who got a DUI was a different you, in a different lifetime, and youre not that person anymore. Impossible sell for a 19yo kid about his 18yo self.
Your best bet IMO will be to sit on this for a number of years, put time between this DUI and the future, and be squeaky clean. Can’t tell you not to drink or partake in late teen/early 20s lifestyle, but with this on your record, 1 more ding on your record is damn near certain game over, or yet another 5-10 year postponement before even attempting to try again.
I’m also not sure how you got into the aviation program, unless they just flat out didnt ask about anyting record/medical related and dont care because they get paid whether or not you fly. But IMO going to college for aviation right now is a mistake and will be a waste of time and will run you up some huge student loans real quick. Depending on what your AME says, you could be looking at a certain deferral if you go for your medical now, or have to wait at least 4 more years before you could get your medical on the spot from the AME. At your age, waiting 4 years might be a better option than getting deferred, and most likely denied. There are a lot of things you can do fresh out of high school to make a ton of money. Get into some skilled trades. ironworkers, insulators, plumbers, electricians, heavy equipment operators. All those unions take in anyone with a pulse, pay for schooling, and pay crazy good even before you get thru schooling and get your journeymans card. You could potentially have enough money saved in 4-5 years to where you get your first class medical at 24 years old and can pay for flight school out of pocket.
Chris,
As naive as it sounds, I really didn’t think about how much it could affect my flight training until recently. There wasn’t a spot for stuff like duis on the application but I sent them an email asking them generally the same thing I asked here also just informing them. I will let you know when they get back to me. I know it isn’t up to you or really anyone but the ame but do you think if I applied for a medical over the summer I would be approved?
Roman,
I appreciate the feedback and advice. It is a sucky situation that I put myself in and keyword I did it to MYself but that really doesn’t matter. I definitely get what you’re saying and will most likely go a different route for the time being at least. Just so I’m on the right wavelength, it’s going to be at least 4 years before even being worth a shot at applying for my medical? Thank you again
Josh,
Some airlines : Tim building jobs are accepting those with DUIs 3-5yrs old, so I would argue you don’t need to “sit on it”. I’d say get the process started and worst comes to worst have a GA or non-airline job longer than expected
Chris,
Okay thank you, I will most definitely consult with HIMS or an aviation attorney and figure out how long until I would have a shot at getting a medical, I really don’t mind being a cfi or any non airline job I just want to be able to fly, and gaining hours while proving that it was a lapse in judgement not a defining moment is definitely not a bad thing in my opinion at least
First thing you need to do is consult with an AME about what to do. Here’s what the AME will have to go off of to decide
Since yours is less than 5 years ago, the AME will have to dig deeper and go down a further checklist (linked in that pdf), that will tell him whether to issue or defer. I just think that with this DUI being so fresh, he will have no choice but to defer, and FAA is ruthless about any kind of drug or alcohol issues and I fear they will deny you.
Then in the future, if you go to apply again, you have to answer whether youve been denied in the past, and that opens up a whole new can of worms. This is where I’m at currently, coming up on 10 years since my DUI, but with a previous medical denial. I’ll be jumping thru hoops and fighting tooth and nail to get my medical once you start the process again. Thats why I think its better to wait it out and minimize your chances of getting deferred/denied in the first place, but thats also a question for your AME
Dont think that even if you wait it out and get your medical first shot in 4 years that its all forgotten and forgiven. Airlines will still see your DUI and you will have to answer for it. I emailed every single regional airline in the US and the one response I got back is that I would definitely get an interview, but they also recommend I create a new success story for myself to further distance myself from my past. That way they can see that I’m truly not that person anymore, not just some fuckup who managed to simply wait out the clock without any changes to my lifestyle
It’s gonna be a tough process, but it begins with a conversation with your AME. Dont start the process of getting a medical (signing up online, filling out the forms, etc) without consulting with your AME first. Once you start the process, you cant pause it or stop it, you either get your medical or dont get it. So work with your AME and cross your Ts and dot your Is before starting the actual process
Josh,
When you apply for your medical you’ll need to complete the application. Question 18 asks:
Have you EVER had any arrest(s) and/or conviction(s) involving driving while intoxicated by, while impaired by, or while under the influence of alcohol or a drug?
If you answer YES (which you have to) then your AME MUST defer your application until you provide all the details of the DUI and depending on those details you may or may not get your medical. Long short while you may be able to salvage your career (IF you remain squeaky clean) you will have some hoops to jump through.
Adam
Okay that definitely makes more sense. I realize that it’s not not just going to go away unfortunately, I’m for sure going to look through that PDF and consult with the AME I really appreciate the advise
Adam,
Yeah I figured that no matter what i’m going to have to jump through hoops because of how seriously the FAA takes these kind of things. I’m going to talk with an AME and try and salvage my career any way I can
Josh,
Not trying to bust your chops but I have to ask? Do not think this is a “serious” thing?
Adam
adam,
No that is not how I meant it at all… I realize that what I did is completely wrong and there need to be consequences. I also realize that i’m only in this position because of my own actions and I do regret that I ever did it. I am just trying to find a way to get passed it and still be able to do something that I’ve found a passion for. I didn’t mean to come across like I was trying to downplay it
Josh
one thing I just thought of, you should do asap is round up every single piece of documentation about your DUI. I don’t know how cops and courts operate where you are from, but in my case, I got my DUI from Ohio state highway patrol, and they don’t keep records past a year. My previous run in with the law was for a gram of weed and a bowl, by a local cop, and I was able to get every single piece of paperwork about it, down to the scan of the ticket I signed on the side of the road when I got pulled over, and the report the arresting officer filled out at the station after he picked me up. Same goes for court records, records of you completing a DUI class, etc. Anything that can fill in any blanks, you’re better off having than not having
Seeing that FAA asks if you’ve ever been arrested for drugs or booze (I could’ve swore when I went for my medical in 2017 they asked about the last 10 years, not infinity), you will get deferred, and they will ask for all this paperwork. I’m sure it didn’t help my case when I produced every single piece of paperwork from (at that point in time 5 years ago) a small suburb cop station with 5 cop cars and 3 cops, but produced nothing from OSHP because “state highway doesn’t keep records for more than a year”.
So round up everything you can think of, save it all in the cloud, burn it on a CD, save it on a USB drive and hide it under your mattress, whatever. No matter when you enter the FAA medical process, you will have to answer yes to question 18, and they will want all the paperwork, and the more you can give them, the better. So get everything now, before the server at the cop station autopurges it to create storage space.
roman,
Will do, I really appreciate the straight forwardness and all the advice. I’m glad you’ve been able to get past it and have done better I’ve definitely got a better understanding of what I need to do moving forward now
Hello everyone, I’m currently a scheduler for a major commercial airline. I had a dui arrest back in 2014 at the age of 23. I also received a misdemeanor ticket 6 months later for driving with a suspended license; no arrest. I also haven’t had a drink in years because I’m too paranoid that a situation could arise where I need to drive or atleast be firing on all cylinders. Im currently waiting on the FAA to either approve or deny my first class medical. That being said, what are my chances to actually be hired on at a regional and ultimately to a mainline?