Yes. They absolutely will at the very least take it into consideration. Some might outright hold it against you. Might depend on who interviews you that day.

I'd start volunteering (a lot) and try to climb a ladder in whatever organization you choose to show dedication and leadership. I'd also try to become a line check airman, assistant chief pilot, etc.

Good idea... this goes right up the middle of the problem at hand (youthful disregard for authority and rules). Would hopefully show you have come full circle.

Yeah I believe they would hold something against you even though you were 20. I do also believe there are things you can do to try and get back in the good graces but it has to be WAY above and beyond what everyone else is doing, more than check airman, more than no no failures, more than just normal community service. I mean the major I got hired with really loves people that hav community service on their record, unfortunately you showed that you wouldn’t even do mandatory community service. Yes you were 20 I know it was a mistake, however look at it from a company perspective, 8000 apps on file, majority with relatively clean records. They have to justify why they hired you. If you make a mistake in the flight deck and the media gets a hold of your record, it makes your airline look bad. Like I said in my earlier post, I can’t say what future hiring is going to look like, but right now I wouldn’t give you a great chance (but anything is possible) for a major unless you can check every box they have. Right now 99% of new hires at United have college degrees, what looks worse, a guy in his 20s that didn’t get a college degree but worked hard getting his ratings, or a guy who in his 20s got his college degree but got arrested, sentenced to community service, blew it off and went to jail. I’d choose the first guy and 99% of them are not getting hired.
You asked for brutal honesty and this is it. If you were already far into your career like maybe already at a regional I would sugar coat it a bit more, but sounds like you are asking as you are just getting into this if it’s worth continuing on with a major as your end goal. If/when you get an interview though, realize it’ll be something you have to explain, but don’t dwell on it, if you got the interview realize they have already deemed you hirable and it’s your job at that point to loose, not your record.

I’d like to add though if you do choose this career I sincerely hope you make it and make a good name for yourself. It will be a long road but I’d love to here about it on a layover someday over a beer.

Thank you all for the advice! This has just been so stressful because I want to start my training but I dont know if im qualified for a major.

Would it be just as hard to be hired by an LCC like jetblue? If I have 1500 hours, would I be hired by regional no problem?

Im just so regretful of what I did and what happened. I want to start community service regardless of my decision so that I can prove I am changed. I really just want to do whatever I can to show that Im a respectable individual of society.
Im going to speak with a lawyer to see my options with expungement or whatnot. And check to see if my record restricts me to enter other countries. I will also be seeking a pilot career counselor.

Would it be okay for me to call a Major and tell them my situation to see if I would be okay?

My mentality has changed quite a bit since I started this thread. At this point I dont think its wether or not I can get to a major or not. I just want to fly for an airliner. Just the thought of potentially not pursuing this career has made me very restless and stressed about my future.

When I first decided that I wanted to pursue my life long dream of being an airline pilot, I did not know that my past would haunt me. But maybe if can go above and beyond to show that I am respectable. Then maybe I can get hired by a regional and spend many years there, hopefully by a LCC, spend many years there and then God willing a major.

I just have 2 more questions. Would it be the same for majors in other countries? Airlines in Asia such as China or Korea.
Would enlisting in the Army reserve help my case? Military is my second dream.

Honestly Im so glad I found this forum. I don't know what I would've done if I went at this alone. Thank you everyone!

1. Regionals, Charter Operators and most Fractionals are desperate for pilots. I doubt your background would be an issue. As for LCC's, might be more of an issue. Depends on how picky they can afford to be.

2. I would NOT contact a major airline to ask them about this. Perhaps if you can do it anomalously, but you probably won't get a human reply.

3. Oriental Airlines are hurting too, but they usually don't hire anyone without experience in their equipment. Most have their own local people flying right seat with the goal of eventually using all locals. Their physicals are also very stringent, much more than a FAA class 1.

4. Enlisting in the reserve might hurt more than help for an airline that is short of pilots. Legally it can't, but reality may be different. Now if you're an air traffic controller or something directly aviation related it might help. And there's the possibility of Warrant Officer Flight Training.

^^^^ what this guy said. Flying for a regional is definitely in the realm of reality. And I could honestly see an LCC working out eventually for you, then like you said just throw your apps out at the legacies and see what happens. Also I would get my degree while I work on my ratings and while being a CFI. I have seen way too many people push off the degree, get too busy when they start working for a regional, then complain they can’t get on with a major because they have no degree. Like I said earlier, your going to need EVERY box checked if you want to get with a major (and probably LCC too)

I know pilots that have been hired who bent metal, have 2.0 GPAs and have DUIs.

Don’t bust a checkride and get your degree done and you’ll be fine. Only hurdle you may have at a regional is being prohibited from entering Canada for 10 years unless you get a waiver. Even then the regionals are hurting bad for pilots.

I’ve had my fair share of problems. No one is perfect.

My goal was to join the national guard after I get my CFI. I was going to choose a job in aviation such ATC or Aviation operations. Would that still hinder? Would it just be best to focus all on civilian sector?

Yes I fully intend to finish my degree well before I even apply to majors.
Im more than half way done. Ive heard that all you need is a degree from an accredited college. When I was younger I wanted to be a military Officer and I heard that soldiers get commissions by doing online schools such as excelsior, Thomas Edison State. Both regionally accredited colleges. Im planning on finishing my degree when Im instructing to build 1500 hours.

So many people have been saying dont bust check rides. Is it hard?
Others say dont bust more than 2 or 3. Ive never taken a check ride so I dont know but seems a little harsh to not be hireable for failing a couple tests when eventually you will pass. Once again I dont know about it so I might be talking out of my a**.

I hope it is not very hard. If I prepare and know all the material before hand just like studying for a test, will I never fail a check ride?
I also have excellent hand eye coordination. And it might not be the same but while most of peers failed driving license test and took it several times, I passed it on the first go when I was 16. Driving came really easy for me. Its mostly feeling for me and I usually never second guess myself. I can drive through the tightest of ally ways no problem while maintaining a proper speed. (not the ally ways in America haha more like the ones in Asia and Europe) Does that correlate with flying at all?
Ive riden in planes alot and flew once sitting shotgun.

That's a close call. Lets see what others have to say. The problem is regionals are very short pilots and a Guard/Reserve job could make you unable to work those days you're doing military duty. And there's always the chance of being activated and deployed. Of course if the airline is really hurting for pilots they're not going to be that picky.

Completely false.

It's complicated. Hand eye coordination is not really that big of a deal, it helps if you're athletic, and you cannot be a complete klutz. It's much more about multi-tasking and prioritization.

The academics are similar to what you're familiar with from school, and will tested by written and oral exams. That sort of stuff is generally about 80% to pass, except certain things like aircraft limitations and emergency memory items may require 100% to pass. Your first airline training event will be big wakeup call for most (unless you've done engineering, law, medicine or some military equivalent), it makes most college programs look like preschool. "Drinking from a Firehose of Knowledge" is the usual analogy.

Checkrides are different than what you're used to from school, there are many things going on, you have to fly the aircraft, execute the profiles, properly deal with emergencies, navigate, and communicate with ATC. You can't be doing all of those things at once, so you have to prioritize.

Simulator checkrides will be used for very complex turbine aircraft. The bad news is it's very complex. The good news is that it has an autopilot so you can mostly focus on managing the problems. Better news is that outside interruptions are generated by the instructor, so they will be timed reasonably and not likely to overload you.

Airplane checkrides are used for light piston aircraft. The good news is those planes are easy to hand fly. The bad news is they don't have autopilots (you won't be allowed to use it on a checkride even if one's installed). The worse news is that you're flying in the real world, so in addition to instructions/problems injected by the examiner, you have to deal with real ATC, other aircraft, and weather... none of that is predictable, and it may overload you. Also if you get a real emergency on a checkride, you have to handle that as well! I know a guy whose CPL ride was interrupted by a low altitude engine failure... after he landed in an empty parking lot (early Sunday am) the examiner told him "good job, you get a discontinuance and we'll finish it up on another day". If the examiner had had to take control, it would have been a failure!

There are also other uncontrollable factors...

- Instructor sucks.
- Examiner is in a bad mood, having a bad day, doesn't "click" with you, etc. Personality can be a factor.
- Aircraft mechanical problem.
- Sim partner sucks
- You have a bad day.

So unfortunately, lots of intangibles. Study and practice are huge predictors of success, but there's no guarantee. Most folks will likely fail one training event at some point in the career. You can improve your odds tremendously with work ethic, but there's no way to be absolutely foolproof... too many variables.

Kevbo is overly negative as usual, but there is a small grain of truth in what he says.

The system is seniority based, so the younger you get in the better you're going to make out.

For fastest possible progression, it's best to be the child of a legacy airline pilot:
1) Family money for school/training. Access to GA aircraft.
2) Mentoring that is unavailable to most kids who might want to be a pilot.
3) Industry connections.
That can get you to a Big Six airline as young as mid/late 20's, if you don't screw anything up.

If you have to go it alone, the military would be the best option, no debt, you can get college and flight training paid for, have connections, but you won't get to a major before early 30's.

A civilian going it alone is just going to take longer, since he has to limit his college/training to what he can pay for based on his current income. To move that along quickly would require a very single-minded focus for many years (ie eat/sleep/work/school, repeat). Connections will be acquired over time in the industry.

The military option is hardest, and you have to start young to get a mil college scholarship (ie HS grades/tests scores/athletics). The self-funded civilian option is probably the longest, and least guaranteed, but it's certainly doable.

But no need to get bitter because some old guys did it the hard way 50 years ago and now want to take care of their kids... that's the way the world turns.

Busting a few checkride >3 isn’t a big deal especially early on in your training.

Busting numerous checkride and having legal issues won’t help your career.

I understand. I guess all thats left for me is to choose a reputable flight school and start my journey.
Rickair, you've been a tremendous help to me and I thank you for that.
I plan on updating my journey and being more active on this forum!