Hello, I just joined yesterday and am trying to absorb all the great info in here. I am very seriously considering a career switch and signing up for the ATP full time accelerated program. I have a PPL and 138 hours but no instrument rating. I’m 46 and have a financially lucrative career that I no longer enjoy. Financially this move makes no sense, but I have enough put away that I can pursue this passion and do what I enjoy.
Before I resign my current position and spend $70k and 6 months with ATP, I wonder if I could get some advice on something that might be a negative factor in getting hired by an airline. When I was getting my PPL, on my first cross country solo I screwed up and landed on the taxiway of a tower controlled airport. I was interviewed by various people and the FAA called me to ask questions. I answered all questions honestly and admitted that I should have known better (even as a student pilot) and made a mistake. My flight school removed my solo privileges until I did some re-training and the matter was put to bed. My question is I don’t know the precise way to describe the actions taken by the FAA. I received a phone call, but I don’t remember the FAA rep using the word “investigation”. He didn’t use the word “restriction” or “disciplinary” or “action”.
I’m trying to ascertain 1) whether this matter is something that would disqualify me from airline employment (it shouldn’t because there is no pilot on earth less likely to land on a strip of asphalt that doesn’t contain runway numbers than me) and 2) how I should describe this matter when asked or whether its not necessary to describe it if the FAA’s actions don’t rise to the level of something that must be disclosed. It was one phone call, nothing in writing.
Is there a way to pull an FAA file on myself so that I can see how they documented and classified this matter? Or verify that there is nothing in the official record about it? I don’t want to lie but I don’t want to give someone a stick to hit me with either.
Any help would be gratefully received.