Is there hope? Failed drug test
#1
On Reserve
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Joined APC: Sep 2017
Posts: 18
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?
#2
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Joined APC: Oct 2015
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Posts: 2,911
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?
Great question for pilot recruitment folks tbh.
#4
Disinterested Third Party
Joined APC: Jun 2012
Posts: 6,077
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?
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.
#5
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.
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.
#6
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Joined APC: Sep 2017
Posts: 18
#7
On Reserve
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Sep 2017
Posts: 18
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.
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.
I was able to find out it was a non-DOT post accident drug test.
#9
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'.
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