My coworker has been looking over my shoulder the last few months while I’ve on here and wanted me to ask a question for her.
Last year she got a high rate of speed speeding ticket (Clocked at 85 in a 55 but the Trooper estimated she made it up to 110 before she started stopping). Because of the length of distance covered and the presumed speed the Trooper wrote her up for Fleeing (which in Pennsylvania is a Misdemeanor) as well. I told her DUI/DWI were issues but couldn’t answer that one and figured I would come to the pros with it.
I’m no legal expert but it sounds strange to me that “fleeing” would be a misdemeanor. The airlines will ask for copies of your Motor Vehicle records when you interview. From my experience they’re generally somewhat forgiving when it comes to driving and traffic infractions, within reason. Again I’m no expert but if that’s the only issue there I believe she’d be fine BUT if there’s a history there prior or more offenses after she might have a problem.
I thought the EXACT same thing when I heard her charge. Sometimes I’d like to meet the people that come up with the grading of some of these charges. Thanks for the help!
As Adam pointed out, the airlines can be forgiving of traffic violations, but a misdemeanor is a criminal charge, not a traffic violation. If your friend has a misdemeanor criminal conviction that could make her unable to be hired by the airlines, especially since it is so recent of a conviction. The problem with criminal convictions is two fold. To begin with it simply does not look good for an airline to entrust people’s lives to somebody with a criminal record. The second issue is that Canada will not allow people with criminal records to enter the country, which of course is a huge problem as almost all of the airlines fly into Canada.
I would recommend that your friend find out exactly what type of misdemeanor she was convicted of. I would further recommend that she contact the hiring departments of a few different regional airlines and ask them their stance on the matter.
I don’t mean to sound harsh, I just want to be sure that your coworker has a clear answer before she invests any money into flight training.
Ok to back up this thread with a follow up question. I have a criminal record, had a few run-ins with the law in college, DUI, and disorderly conduct on two separate occasions. What can I say, had a little bit of wild streak in my early 20s. Lol. Now those were 10 and 11 years ago, and I currently hold a professional license in my state, carry malpractice coverage, passed national boards, state boards, all with no issue. How big of deal is it with airline companies? Obvious the Canada thing is a big deal and I could see that being a big problem. However to be honest at this point, I am not even sure they are on my “record”. Thanks.
I am going to be honest, that is a pretty extensive record. Not knowing the full nature of the “run-ins with the law” it is hard to really comment, but I think that the summation of several different infractions might give an airline second thought when reviewing your application. It doesn’t really matter if they are still on your record or not, because the airlines ask if you “Have ever been convicted…” They run FBI background checks that find things that are long off people’s records, so you will need to address those issues on the application itself. I think you could be in for a tough road when applying for to the airlines. Would suggest that you contact the recruiting departments of various regional airlines and directly ask them your question.
I’m no pilot, but hopefully will be soon. That being said, I’m currently a police officer and have been for 13 years. Be careful not to “shoot yourself in the foot” when it comes to answering questions about your background. I deal with people on a daily basis that tell me they’ve never been arrested, only to find a lengthy history when I run it. Just because it was supposed to be taken off your record or expunged doesn’t mean that it won’t come up in a criminal background check. I’m pulling from the same system that most background companies will pull from…there’s only a few exceptions of incidents that I’d be able to see that a background company wouldn’t.
Typically, a juvenile record is the only one permanently sealed.
Hope that’s not a buzzkill, but I wanted to share on something I know a little about lol
Just to beat this horse some more I’ve got to be honest. I was involved in hiring at my last airline and occasionally we’d have applicants with some “blemishes” on their records. Equally as important as the crimes themselves was the applicants attitude when confronted regarding the infractions. If during the interview I asked you about your history (particularly regarding a DUI, which has the potential to kill innocents victims) your response was “what can I say, I had a bit of a wild streak, lol” the interview would be over. While I appreciate your candor, you might want to consider a more humble and remorseful stance.
I will let Adam answer as the question was directed to him, but it sounds like you have your answer, at least at the regional level. Now buyer beware, it might be a different story when you apply to the majors.
I would have a darn good answer ready about why you refused that Breathalyzer. how you have learned and changed, etc.
As Chris said, the Regionals are desperate so you’ll be fine there. It’s moving up to a Major that could be a problem. I don’t like the “refusal” and come interview time you should be prepared to address that at length. Usually they go back 10yrs but the Majors will ask “have you ever?”. While I’ve seen people hired with past legal issues I’ve seen more than a few fired for saying they “never”, believing it wouldn’t show up on their record, and then did. They weren’t fired for the crime it was lying about it that got them fired.
What’s imperative is you remain squeaky clean from now on. As desperate as they are if poor behavior continues they really have no choice but to say no.
I worry more about the economy, price of oil and terrorism’s effects on the industry than drones and single pilot cockpits. Our industry has spent the last 40yrs touting the importance of CRM (Crew Resource Mgmt). Prior to 1980 there were many crashes all traced back to the Capt-centric nature of the industry,which was essentially a single pilot operation. Despite the pilot shortage they can’t simply discount the fact that we’ve improved safety dramatically by having 2 pilots working together. As for drones we can’t build a car that can drive itself.
I think that the pilot shortage will continue and that the industry should continue to be healthy, but to be fair, we have heard some of these predictions before and then things like September 11 or the recession happened.
I am not remotely worried about changes to the two pilot rule. The can’t even get one person trains approved yet, when that happens I will start to worry.
I was lurking for a while but this topic made me create a profile out of pure heartbreak.
In 2014 I picked up a misdeamenor, worst day of my life and I have worked hard everyday since to overcome the incident. It was for petty theft at Walmart. Embarrassing I know, I can’t even recall my mindset when the theft took place I just remember that it happened.
Since then I have joined the Army I hold the rank of a Sargent. I also have a security clearance, fixed my credit and I’m currently still serving in the Florida national guard where I plan to spend 20 years because I love the army life.
With that being said, would I be wasting my time trying to pursue a career as a commercial pilot? I don’t want to finish school and cannot obtain a position because of the misdemeanor charge that was “adjudication withheld”. Thanks in advanced.
Thanks you kind Gentlemen and Ladies for taking the time to answer these questions, I have only been on this forum for a day but appreciate everything.
First I want to thank you for coming forward and sharing. While despite many claims to the contrary not everyone makes mistakes and there are many people with clean records. You’ve got a blemish on yours so what does that mean? That means coming into an interview there will be some things to discuss. Clearly you read the above thread but this subject comes up often and if you you’ve read some of them I often respond with an “interview question”. I’ve participated in hiring and there are things pilots look for in these situations:
Does the person OWN the offence and show any remorse? When I hear “what can I say, I was a crazy kid”, or “you know everyone does stupid things when they’re young”, or my favorite “it really wasn’t a big deal” I cringe. As I said, no, everyone doesn’t.
Is this one shot or a pattern? If it’s one instance and it wasn’t violent or a major offense we can work with that BUT when it’s “well 5 yrs ago, but then 2yrs ago there was this other, oh and last year I… BUT I’m good now”. We have a problem.
What has the person been doing since/lately? Are they doing things in life to improve themselves and be responsible members of society.
You sir have checked all the above favorably. You’re respectful, serving your country and can write in complete sentences. While there are no guarantees, I don’t believe you’ll have any issues.
I think you have enough going in your favor for your misdemeanor to not be an issue. Not only have you demonstrated your ability to change your life for the better, you own your mistake. That will speak volumes in an interview.