PiperPower,

I'd suggest that you make an appearance in the court rather than pay the fine. Assuming that this is your first offense and the rest of your record is clean, show up dressed in a suit and apologize to the judge for your behavior. Explain that you realize that you were stupid and will not throw any more crazy parties. Tell the judge that the misdemeanor offense has the potential to affect your future career as a professional pilot and ask if there is any type of forgiveness our counseling program that you can participate in to have the offense reduced to a lesser penalty.

My guess is that if you come across as responsible and professional in court, the judge will most likely reduce the offense (perhaps to a simple noise violation) and you'll end up paying a similar find and court costs but not have a Misdemeanor on your record. (Civil penalty vs criminal penalty).