fly1

Alright folks, I am faced with the most difficult decision of my career thus far and have been on both sides of the fence for a while. I would really appreciate some constructive feedback, especially in regards to those who may have been involved with hiring in a 121 operation.
The good: 2500TT(1500 turbine), 1500 Single PIC (850 turbine), 700 MEL, above ATP mins by a bit. I am single.
The bad: 10+ yr old DUI & Driving under suspension, a couple underage consumptions, and medical/license revocation 5 yrs ago for not reporting the DUI. Big mistake, I know. All these incidents occurred before I began flying, and are over ten years old now. This past ten years: a few minor traffic violations (speeding).
I was fortunate enough to land a corporate gig, which has a great QOL, a 5-10 yr upgrade, and sub par pay prior to upgrade. Aside from the flying, I am able to squeeze out an extra $10k + on the side annually.
Having a tough time getting an interview with a 121 operator, since I am honest about my history of course. Have an opportunity with a 121 operator with a fast upgrade, less than a year. Of course the pay is the worst in the industry, not naming names J
The question is- is it worth giving up a comfortable lifestyle with a decent company to chase the dream of making it to the majors? I am wondering if I flew for this company a few years, racked up a couple thousand 121 ME Turbine PIC- would I even have a shot at the majors with my record? Or is the best I can hope for going to be landing a job at another regional after I have “proven” myself?
Will I ever be “forgiven” for the mistakes of my youth? I am all ears, thanks!

rickair7777

Anything is possible, especially if a severe pilot shortage occurs (where legacies have trouble manning flights). However...

You may get several opinions on this, here is mine and I'm sure someone will violently disagree but this is a tough one to call.

All the good aside, and despite all the time that passes I think your problem here is going to be how a company would view the risk of public exposure in the media after an accident, and how this background could be played in a civil lawsuit. The DUI is bad, but it was a long time ago and people understand that we are all human. But the real gotcha here is going to be the pilot license revocation and driving with a suspended license...frankly I think major airlines are going to consider that too over the top to risk possible media exposure.

I suppose it's possible that you'd get on with a lower end national airline, but honestly in your shoes I'd probably hang on to that good corporate job, and keep your corporate network humming in case you ever need to find another job. Corporate operators are far more likely to hire you based on who you are today as opposed to who you were as a teenager, or how you'll look in a USA Today expose on airline pilot backgrounds.

Seasick Sailor

I have never been involved in the hiring process but I do have over 25 years in 121 operations. Having said that, I agree with rickair's opinion.

RunnerMark

I also agree completely with Rickair...

However, I also want to add a few things.
First, don't despair over this!!! The majors are NOT the end all, be all. PLEASE don't think this way. If you have a quality corporate job now, be grateful. There is nothing wrong with staying corporate, and as Rickair said, you are much more likely to gain employment at other corporate flight dept's through networking etc.

I hate to be a buzz kill on the dream job, but there are far too many applicants available without these issues.

Whether or not you should leave to work GoJet (lucky guess).... That's on you. If your current company is stable and you feel the flight dept isn't going anywhere, I would stay. I can't see your track record allowing you to succeed in 121, but in 91 it's all networking.

Best of luck, but mostly keep in mind that being a Delta 777 CA isn't everything!!!!!!

fly1

Thanks for the input gentleman, I appreciate the insight. I am grateful to be where I am at, and for the experiences I have had thus far with aviation. We'll see what opportunities present themselves, and what takes place over the next decade. Should be good for everybody

galaxy flyer

Just keep your corp gig, apply and see what happens. You can get hired out of a corporate jet gig, no need to dump that. But, I agree you record will make many jobs out of reach.

GF

UFFL

I'm pretty sure I work at the 121 operator you have an opportunity at. No it's not GoJet... worst pay in the industry, under 1 year upgrade... B1900D right?

I don't have an answer on your particular situation but if you do decide to come here my advice is to try to always keep a positive attiude because it can suck here! Consider moving to one of the bases and your QOL will be a little better. Feel free to PM me

IAHDFW

Law school or medical school is the place to go

JohnBurke

Your past is more than a little checkered. It will hurt you.

You need to move beyond your past, and be able to show that you've outgrown it. Of all the items you cited, the medical and certificate revocation is the most glaring.

You indicated that all the incidents occurred prior to flying. Obviously not the certificate revocation. It appears that you're saying that your pilot certification was revoked, along with your medical, for not reporting driving history events that occurred before you were a certified pilot. This is something you can explain, but you've got to get the chance.

You're probably going to need to get with a regional and move up, if one will hire you. If you can get a solid history behind you, later you'll have the option to apply. As you get a year down the road, those events fall a year behind you. It will take time to clean up your background.

You indicated that you've continued to have driving infractions over the past few years. You seemed to minimize this by saying they're speeding infractions, but you've got to understand that employers are loathe to put you in their twenty five or fifty million dollar airplane when you aren't showing good judgment with your own car. Particularly in airline flying, the ability to adhere to profiles, limitations, regulations and policies carries a lot of weight. Your history shows a lot of recklessness, and that includes the speeding infractions.

Many people get an occasional citation. It's not the end of the world. When you add up multiple citations, however, as well as driving under the influence, and FAA certification revocation, you've got a formidable past which may haunt you for a while. Show that you've learned from that, and become Mr. Squeaky Clean. Not a speeding ticket. Don't even fart in public. Your career is far from over, but you're going to need to build yourself back up to a more marketable (and respectable) position.

atpwannabe

Given the fact you're already flying, I would think that you would be. Your most recent "legal entanglements" have the potential to be a show stopper; in other words, keeping you from moving up to the next level . There has been some really good & sound advice given. If I were you, I'd take it to heart....trust me on this one.

The two charges that I have on my record read NOLLE PROSEQUI. An employer, aviation or otherwise, couldn't give a rat's *** on what the disposition of the case was. The issue that potential employers have is one's ability to make good sound decisions. That's what their looking at. OTOH, just like everyone is saying....time has a way of turning things around.


All the best....blue skies!


You're absolutely right! Being a 737-800/900 CA is!!!


atp