Is there hope? Failed drug test
 

Long story short..... I failed a drug test while working for Continental Airlines back in 2004 as a ramp agent. This resulted in me losing my job. Do I have a chance in becoming an airline pilot or did I just spend 75K on nothing? Should I come clean on my airline application?

You definitely shouldn’t try to lie, or hide it... are you able to get a class 1 medical from the FAA? Are you otherwise qualified?

Great question for pilot recruitment folks tbh.

You should have asked this question BEFORE spending 75K.

There is no question about coming clean. Yes, you must.

Whether you will find employment remains to be seen, but yes, you certainly have a chance.

As for having wasted your money, only you can answer that, but consider that if your only goal is to fly for an airline, you've drastically limited your potential career.

There's a difference between admitting to having failed your drug test, and advertising it. Don't advertise.

It depends...

I hope you were pretty young at the time...

I assume it was a DOT drug test, vice just a company program. If it was DOT, you need to do some research to find out the process to get cleared to return to a DOT position. It may require going to a substance abuse program. If you cannot get that cleared, you are no-go for most or all part 135 and all 121 jobs. I believe drug failures may fall off your DOT record after some amount of time (according to my trucker buddies), not sure what the time-line is for 121 employees.

Once you've verified you're legal to work per DOT, then you have to get an airline to hire you. I think your options are going to be limited initially to bottom-feeder regionals. If you can get hired at one of the scum suckers and do a couple years with a clean record, you might be able to move on to a "better" regional.

Majors are a remote possibility right now but you *might* have a shot eventually if demand is high enough and you can keep a pristine record (in all things... training, discipline, driving, and of course criminal).

Even if your DOT failure is no longer applicable due to the amount of time, your employment prospects might be enhanced if you get some sort of substance counseling/evaluation. That way at an interview you can counter the bad news with some positive, pro-active action on your part plus a professional assessment that you're clean.

Don't lie on airline applications. If they ever find out (they often do) you'll be fired and essentially blacklisted from 121 for life. But read the questions very carefully... don't answer a question they didn't ask. If in doubt, conventional wisdom is to err on the conservative side because it's better to not get an interview than to get fired.

Yes I’m currently a CFI building hours.

I was able to find out it was a non-DOT post accident drug test.

You can be a career part 91 or 135 pilot and enjoy a drug habit as many of those guys do.

No mention of, and I'd expect he's moved on today.

You have your 1st class Medical, which is key. There's the whole spectrum of jobs, for many topping out at the largest 121 carriers. Do like everyone else does, when qualified put in the apps where likely to get an interview.

When one has a weak area, address it and compensate in one way or another, don't let it hang solo and as a 'bullseye'.

That is funny..:D