AirJordan

Hello all
I feel like Im a good person and I always follow the rules but a perfect storm of events will ruin my future in aviation. Anyway I have a fairly clean record with a speeding ticket in 2002 and one in 2003, but last year I was driving and I was late on my payments for my car insurence and got pulled over for no reason. (I was driving threw an upscale nieborhood dropping my friend off at home after dinner sooo yeah he said my taillight was dim) And got a ticket for driving without insurence because it had been canceled. So in Jersey first offense is loss of licence for one year. I am trying to appeal the conviction because it seems so unfair. I try to do the right thing and it seems like nothing can go right for me right now. Can I still apply to airlines? I just got laid off from my part 91 job and my credit is really bad from my student flight loans, I am leaving my apartment this month because I cant afford a new lease with no job. Not flying is not an option. Ive been flying since I was 13 and this is all I ever want to do. Maybe 135 or a good 91 job?

rickair7777

The good news is that getting your license pulled for administrative reasons (as opposed to reckless/DUI/test refusal) is not an issue with the FAA. You may have to report it on your medical, depending on how the question is worded, but they will not care once they know it was for lack of insurance.

So basically as far as motor vehicle actions you have a couple of speeding tickets. Not a big deal, but don't get any more.

Your financial problems are another story. Airlines generally do look at that sort of thing. Some recruiters might have some sympathy for your circumstances due to the state of the economy and the aviation industry, but I would not bet on it.

The bad news is that when airline hiring resumes, there will be a large pool of qualified applicants with clean records. You might have to wait a while until things become less competitive.

As far as 91 and 135, they will generally be less strict than the airlines, especially part 91. I even know of one guy who prefers to hire pilots with a DUI because he knows they will stick around longer. The best 91 jobs will probably be every bit as strict as airlines, even more so.

AirJordan

Thanks for the reply, I think Im just going to have to tough this out I guess. I have no control of my credit because what can I do other than pay them what I can when I just got laid off. I didnt grow up in a situation that my family had money laying around for flight school and its okay for those fortunate enough to have that but I tell those guys and gals to just be thankfull you didnt have to scratch like I did. Your right that I may have to wait it out until the competiviness dies down a little

atpwannabe

AirJordan:

Don't be fooled. Potential employers will conduct background checks on you. These checks include employment, criminal, civil and credit. In terms of criminal checks, the FCRA states that no criminal conviction may appear after seven years, although the employer still has the right to ask if you have ever been arrested. This is a loophole for the employer. They have every right to determine if you are telling the truth and that what's on your resume and application are in agreement.

Also, remember that an arrest can be characterized as showing up to pay anything at the State Attorney's office of the state you live in. It doesn't necessarily has to be a "physical arrest" where the cuffs are placed on your wrist. Check with your local SA office to find out.

As far as your credit, employers use this tool to determine whether or not you are prompt in certain areas of your life. They are looking for consistancy and continuity in the good sense of the word. Yes, there may be extinuating circumstances as to why an account(s) are behind, but just be aware of that.

Oh and one last thing. Keep out of trouble. Later on, the FAA could determine that you have a personality disorder because of all of the "legal entanglements" that you've encountered with law enforcement. This could certainly jeopardize or delay your getting medically re-certified to fly.

All the best.



atp

rickair7777

Also be aware that, due to TSA security requirements, airlines have access to FBI records which normally include federal, state, and local records and will probably not be expunged even if the event is expunged by the jurisdiction in question. Labor lawyers may not be aware of this, and may give you bad advice about reporting past events to airlines. The laws which apply to normal employers may not apply exactly to airlines because of the security concerns.

Rsrv4ever

call me "not in the know" or whatever, but what is the FRCA? I have an intox in public in 2007, so what does this mean for me in terms of getting hired by another airline before 2014, impossible to get hired or just less competative than others, or something else I dunno? maybe i'm not reading that right, any info would be great, thanx.

Also, I got hired into a pool at ____airlines, so maybe they dont deal with the FRCA?? at this point I dont know what im talking about, again any info would be good.

rickair7777

FCRA = Fair Credit reporting Act. It governs how your credit scores are calculated and used.

Public Intox would not be disqualifying per the TSA, so it would simply be something you would have to explain away at an interview. It will make you slightly less competitive, but the more time passes, the less significant it will be. Hopefully you were very young when it happened.

flynpig

[quote=AirJordan;688780]Hello all

Anyway I have a fairly clean record with a speeding ticket in 2002 and one in 2003, but last year I was driving and I was late on my payments for my car insurence and got pulled over for no reason.

I am trying to appeal the conviction because it seems so unfair.

First things first. Get your tail light fixed and pay your insurance! Then check around your area, there is probably some sort of legal aid available at little or no cost if you are unemployed. I would seek advice from an attorney that knows traffic laws in the state where the conviction occurred. I would look into this quickly because there are likely time limits that limit your ability to appeal.

I would not think that this would significantly impact your future in aviation as long as you can explain it and be able to back it up with records, if needed. Many others are also experiencing hardships right now and everyone in aviation knows this.

Now for the soapbox part. Do not say what you stated above "and got pulled over for no reason" or "it seems so unfair". You could be talking to someone (like me) that have been in an accidents where the other parties had no insurance and has no sympathy for this attitude. I pay mine and the expectation that all other drivers have is that you are paying yours. Don't expect life to be fair. This is a harsh and unforunate reality but, if you have an expectation of fairness you can look forward to alot of disappointment.

That said I agree that the penalty seems pretty harsh for a 1st offense with no accident involved. In my state (CA) you would get a fine and have to show proof of insurance to the court and DMV for 2-3 years.

Good luck.

atpwannabe

Rsrv4ever, rickair is absolutely correct. You may want to check out the old FAR Part 107.209. It will give you a list of disqualifying offenses. Under the new characterization, it's TSR 1542.209.




atp

Lab Rat

The law is the law regardless of how fair or unfair it seems. In an interview, the person asking the questions isn't going to be too concerned about how to interpret the law, but rather more concerned about why you violated it in the first place.