Hello fellow pilots and mentors. About a year ago I posted about my 2017 domestic violence misdemeanor arrest that resulted in a dismissal through a pre trial diversion program. (I am currently 28 years old.) I ended up withdrawing from the 141 university program I was in with around 40 hours of flight time. I soloed at 15.5 hours and decided a non aviation degree was a better option and I am prepping to start with Blue Line aviation on August 22. I’m actually happy to report that so far I have completed my PAR (75%,) IRA (93%,) and CFII (90%) exams. My CAX exam is scheduled for the 29th of this month and my FIA is scheduled for August 16th so I am projected to have 5 out of 6 of the exams completed before I begin. My financing is approved and everything is good to go. I just need to show up, put the work in, and perform.
The reality has set in though that I am about to spend $90,000 on training. I am not looking for an excuse to not go to training, as I realize there are more opportunities than the airlines for career pilots. I guess the uncertainty is kicking in and it’s causing me a lot of anxiety. I’m content if I never go further than a regional airline, but I do really want an airline career. My aspirations of becoming a military officer were torpedoed by this arrest, and I am having memories of that as I get closer and closer to my training date. I think I am seeking reassurance, but I am not naive and expecting any guarantees or anything like that. I think I am just trying to make myself feel better. My family is depending on me and we are taking a massive risk making this career move. I’ve expressed my fears to my wife, and she is so supportive and thinks everything will work out. I do believe she is right, but I am having trouble convincing myself because of how quickly the military shut me down before. Legally I am good to go. I have the 1st class medical no problem. In fact I just renewed it. It will be up to the individual airlines if they want to work with me or not, and I am not sure how I should go about asking a recruiter. My target airline is Endeavor Air, but I am not putting all my eggs in one basket and I am remaining flexible.
Any feedback is appreciated. I’m not even sure what I am looking for here. I think I just needed to talk to fellow pilots and express my fears and concerns.
Thank you all for the read and your time and best wishes,
Robin
Your best bet is to network. And I mean whole heartedly network and prove to others in the industry that you are someone that they can count on as a professional pilot and ethical person.
Having a Resume in Airline Apps is the equivalent of a cold call. Big mistakes and arrests put you at the bottom of the list.
Having letters of recommendation, people willing to walk your resume in, and sometimes just offering you the job is what gets people hired who made a mistake in the past.
Good news is, it’s been five years since the incident. It doesn’t involve any substance abuse and you went through the program. That’s about all you can do to mitigate the impact of the arrest in your record.
I know the risk of taking out the loan and pursuing this career is a lot but if you’re not willing to take the leap, you may never reach the rewards. Contacting a recruiter is a great idea too, at the very least, give you better peace of mind on your future. If I have to guess, I don’t think you’ll have an issue getting hired by a regional as long as you have an excellent resume otherwise. Meaning no checkride failures, no accidents or incidents, quality time, leadership positions within the training facility, etc. All that can help balance out how you look on paper.
I do believe with the time lapse and provided you remain squeaky clean you’ll be ok. At least for a Regional like Envoy. Moving to a Major might be an issue. You need to understand if/when a pilot has a bad day at work we very often end up on the 6 o’clock news. The last thing your airline wants is “and the pilot had a criminal record” as part of the story. This is one of the reasons the airlines are so cautious about these things. PR is a big deal.
@Chris Hi Chris. Because there was no conviction, it’s not something that I volunteer unless I am asked. I’ve learned the hard way the judgement that is faced when the first thing or, one of the first things somebody learns about you is that you’re an alleged domestic abuser. At the end of the enrollment process when I was filling out the final paperwork, I was asked “have you ever been arrested” to which I responded yes. There was a brief area to explain the outcome of the case and I wrote that it was dismissed through a pre trial diversion program. I can only assume it wasn’t a deal breaker for the school itself as I completed the paperwork over a month ago. It may affect me seeking employment there after graduation, I don’t know. I’m just going to try and be the best student I can be. Of course I understand they are a business, but they seemed like great folks when I toured back in May.
Thanks for the reply Chris. If you need me to elaborate further please let me know.
@Hannah Thank you Hannah. Yes and by the time I am eligible for the regionals it will probably be around 8 years since the incident. Definitely not a reflection of who I am. It was… a very difficult situation for all involved. Do you have any advice on how you would approach a recruiter about that? I am trying to avoid calling in and just saying “hey I was arrested for domestic violence.” Do you have any advice on how to soften the blow a little? I was thinking of calling Endeavor Pilot Recruiting tomorrow.
@Adam Thank you for the feedback Adam. I’m banking on being given the opportunity to explain myself. To tell my story and accept responsibility for my involvement on that day. I think I was having doubts about not even being able to land an interview, and while I’m normally a confident person, these little traitorous thoughts creep into my head every so often, and it’s nice to hear that I have a good chance from somebody else. I try to be a realist. If I has a horrible past, I wouldn’t even consider this. But I believe I should have a chance given this is my only blemish and it didn’t result in a conviction. Thank you for the encouragement, and I certainly understand where the airlines are coming from.
@Cforero7 I will do the best that I can to separate myself from the incident and stand out in a positive way. Thank you for the career advice.
I wouldn’t come out of the shoot with that. I’d first ask a few questions about the airline. Current hiring stats, projection, bases, etc. Anything to get the conversation going. Hopefully that will lead to other topics of discussion about you and your goals, where you want to end up. Once you’ve created a bit of foundation establishing your character a bit more, then I’d come out with it. Be honest and humble, knowing the airline has every right to deny you a job. With that attitude, you’re putting your best foot forward.
Just wanted to follow up with you Hannah. I reached out to my airline of choice and had a great conversation with a pilot recruiter. After about 30 minutes she opened a window for me to drop the bomb, and she said that based on what I told her and the way I carried myself, that she’d almost certainly see me being called for an interview when the time comes. Obviously it will be at least two years before I am eligible, and nobody has a crystal ball, but it made me feel like a champion knowing that I’d at least have the opportunity to explain myself. I asked her what else I could do as a candidate to make myself the most competitive, and she said minimizing check ride failures is important. That one or two may not necessarily be a deal breaker, but more than that they begin to wonder. Of course the ideal situation is to have none, but I just wanted to give any future readers a bit of hope if they have suffered failures or worry about it like I do. No mentions about a 4 year degree. Good work ethic, leadership, volunteer work, and CFI applicants were all good things that they said they looked for. She also said that they will get into all of the details about your training and experience. A lot of it was pretty standard stuff, but I just wanted to share what I was told directly from a pilot recruiter. Thank you for the advice and helping me set up the conversation.
That’s so great. Sounds like it went as well as it possibly could have. I hope you’re feeling a little more assured about taking the risk to pursue flight training.
Let us know if there is anything else we can help you with along the way. Also please be sure to come back and update us throughout your training! We love to see that.