Hello and sorry in advanced if this isn’t the place to post this. I was 17 years old when i was arrested 2 months before my 18th for possession of 30-500 grams on cannabis with intent to deliver, and also a paraphernalia charge. the paraphernalia charge and the intent to deliver were both dropped in court and the weed charge was a misdemeanor. I was sentenced to 15 months of probation but only served 5 months due to good behavior with my Probation Officer. My question is I’m currently 22 and turn 23 in 4 months which would make that offence 5 years ago. That is my only mess up in my life with the law I’ve ever had, and I’m currently thinking about enrolling to start working on get my ATP license here in the next 5/6 months and want to go get my class 1 FAA medical before I do schooling to Insure I’m good and will pass. My only concern is that misdemeanor charge effecting my chances of flying internationally , So 1. do i have to report that to the FAA because I was a minor so its not on my record, And 2. If I do report it will this be a career ender before it even starts? Thank you in advanced for any help!
I’m really sorry i see how many people posted about this issue… after some reading replies from admins on this issue do you think I should Just go for my FAA medical and just try to get my class 1 before enrolling in any training? And one more thing to add, if I do tell them about my arrest(I do think that’s the best option after reading some post) should I only tell them about the possession charge to the FAA since that was the only charge that i got convicted off. All other charges were completely dismissed or should i just be 100% percent honest and tell them everything. (Not sure if they can see dismissed charges or only the ones I was charged with)
On the Medical form, question 18v is all about any ARREST or CONVICTION that was related to driving while under the influence OR any ARREST or CONVICTION or ADMINISTRATIVE action that led to a suspension of driving privileges.
Question 18w asks for catch-all "History of nontraffic convictions(s) (misdemeanors or felonies).
If your arrest and/or conviction had nothing to do with driving or losing driving privileges, then 18v is ‘no’. But your ARREST and CONVICTION for possession needs to be reported. Your arrest for paraphanalia and intent to deliver charges that were dismissed do not need to be reported on this question.
Consult your AME for further guidance on how to correctly answer those questions. Answer exactly what is being asked. Nothing more, nothing less.
Corban,
This will have a major impact on your ability to be a pilot and your career progression as one.
You have several steps:
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Consult with a FAA AME and see if you will be eligible to get a medical. If you are, it will probably take jumping through several hoops and will be lengthy and expensive.
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Call the recruiting departments of several regional airlines and ask them directly about your situation.
I think you will likely have a difficult, but not impossible time, with all of the above. The airlines do not take kindly to drugs, you will need to put time between your conviction and the present and keep your record absolutely spotlessly clean to have any chance in the airlines.
Chris
You MUST consult an AME as ONLY an AME can advise you. To quote the above article: “the FAA once analyzed question 18(v) and found that a reader would need more than 20 years of education to properly understand it”.
Further: “If the FAA alleges you made a fraudulent or intentionally false statement on the medical application, you will likely face emergency revocation of your airmen certificates (and, in certain cases, jail time)”.
Adam
As the others said, consulting with an AME should be your first step, maybe a HIMS AME should be the first person since it involves a substance.
Brady
Corban,
If you browsed the other threads on this topic you’ll see… it’s never “should” I say something? The answer is always yes. Disclose what is asked and deal with the repercussions then follow along with the narrow path given to you to still get to be a pilot. The FAA is a government organization and can find out everything regardless. You can’t start off your career with a lie.
First things first, work on securing a medical. that could take months. If you secure one, make sure you look at the program prerequisites to get in to ATP. It is competitive and meeting the bare minimum might not be enough to ensure program acceptance. When it comes time, airlines like to see at least 10 years of a clean record since the incident. You’re not quite there but maybe by the time you get a medical and get through training and time building you’ll be much closer to it.
Hannah