Yes and Maybe.
According to the FAA it does not disqualify you from become a pilot. You will need to tell the FAA about it, but a one time occasion is not an issue with them. For more on exactly what you need to tell the FAA talk to your medical examiner or the FAA aeromedical office.
As for the airlines this is a bit of a tougher area. The further in your past that it occurred the better. There are two major issues the airline and you will need to content with in dealing with a DUI.
- The first is legal. If anything ever happens with you as a pilot for one of their planes the lawyers will dredge up your DUI and use it against the airline. So they need to be a bit more cautious with you. Just like if you had an aircraft accident.
- Second this show very poor decision making. Let’s face it, drinking and driving is not a smart idea, people die daily from it. And this is where the airline will have the greatest issue. You will need to show how you have learned and why it will never happen again.
Neither of these will stop you from becoming a professional pilot. It is just a very large black mark on your record you must deal with.
If it is far in your past or when you were young show how you have learned and you have no issues with it now. A good friend of mine at an airline got a DUI the day after his 21st birthday. He was able to explain it and show that he had no problems going forward, as a matte of fact he quit drinking.
If the issue is more recent, be ready to explain what happened and how you have improved yourself. Here proven actions will help, like join AA, or a proven rehab program. Make sure everything else is in order. This may be your only black mark an airline will except.
Everyone is allowed to make mistakes and move forward. Being a professional airline pilot is no different. The difference is what are you going to do about it?
Keep moving forward, this will show a lot to the airlines about how important flying is to you and that is a major plus they want to see.
Comments on this entry are closed.