The FO wrote a book about the entire thing called "Flying Drunk". After the incident he served a few years in prison, then had to go through the entire process of redoing all of his tickets from Private on up.

Met him at Oshkosh several years ago. Very nice guy, pleasure to talk to. He is (or was at the time) on the MD-80 at AA.

Good book. The captain was rehired by NWA and retired a 747 Captain. The FO is still on the 80 with AA. But these things happened in a different time and place.

You could have refused the breath test. Your medical would still have been deferred and you would have been required to be evaluated by a substance abuse counselor. But you may have gotten your medical back.

But the .21 is evidence of alcohol dependence (tolerance) in the mind of the FAA. It is a long road back. And costly. There is a process, and it starts with a 30-day impatient rehab, followed by outpatient care, all documented as outlined by the FAA.

There are companies that can help you get your medical back in as little as a year (l e f t s e a t . c o m, for example). It will cost you. It will take time. There will be random alcohol tests, so it will also require abstinence.

Don't loose sleep over this. If you are an AOPA member, they will be happy to help. They will likely require you to join the plan but small investment.

Good luck and you can get thru this.

Another matter is the conviction itself, is the case adjudicated/finalized or are things still pending. Almost all first time DUI's where no injury or damage (you didn't wreck out or crash into a neighbors yard) get reduced to lower charges if you weren't an a**hole with the police. So you need an DUI attorney for that. This is another matter from the AOPA legal matter. You can keep your FAA medical but a DUI conviction on your record is still gonna hurt you, aviation wise.

Good lucl

AOPA, Leftseat etc all will require a HIMS AME, inpatient rehab, birds of a feather et. al. and yes documented sobriety for as long as you hold a airman's certificate.

Is it worth the effort to get back? Honestly, why would you spend untold more dollars to get back to flight instructing, only to get you where? A regional? Eventually to a major after a decade or so? Maybe its time to look to another career with better payout and less critical hiring standards...shouldn't be hard to locate.

You heard wrong. One DUI in today's climate is going to create monumental employment challenges, at least for any decent job. You could well be looking at ten years before any airline would even think about talking to you. Your long term prospects may also depend on your age when it happened...when you are 30 or 45 they may be forgiving of a DUI at age 19.

But DUI after 30? Fughedaboudit.

Two DUIs and you are 100% done.

Yes, there are folks flying with one or more DUI's, but they are mostly older guys who got theirs back in the day when a DUI was hardly more than an expensive traffic ticket. Times and attitudes have changed drastically.

the best news for you is that you have not invested that many years in this career...because it's time to look for a new one. You can keep flying on the side and possibly even return to aviation in 10+ years but your prospects are very grim right now.

Sorry, but that's the truth.

I agree. In today's age of

- Need 10+ internal recs
- Need to pass various written and psych tests (FedEx, AMR)
- Extensive Background checks
- Company check airman/IP time required
- Panel Interview followed by HR review and CP review and then final review for final final green light (SWA)
- Etc etc

a DUI conviction on your record is gonna set you WAY back.

This may be the time for some self-reflection and ask yourself if this is the career for you...

It may be worth it for you to spend the time and money to get your medical back. You CAN get it back. And I'm of the opinion that there are decent jobs to be had with a single DUI on your record. If you're thinking airlines, I would listen carefully to rickair's advice.

However, there is something else to think about. And this is between you and yourself. Do you have a drinking problem? You don't have to make any confessions on this forum or anybody else for that matter. Only to yourself. If you think you are a person who needs help, then get your help, and do it under the guidelines of the FAA. In this way, you are tackling a real-life problem that can literally take EVERYTHING away from you, while continuing to keep your flying dream alive.

You earn your medical back and have the FAA's approval and show a prospective employer what you have overcome. There are so many people in the aviation industry that have an understanding of alcohol and its problems. There will be people impressed with your recovery and commitment and persistance and let you fly their airplane.

If, on the other hand, it was truly a freak and random incident and you don't believe you are in any danger, then move on from this career.

yes friend . . . to fly or not to fly. Let it never be said that the FAA unfairly denied you an airman's certificate. As mentioned above if you do not have an alcohol problem, then it will be an easy 6 month path costing say $12, the majority is the 30 day inpatient rehab as a result of YOUR BAL. In summary, is aviation your passion or no? And are factors in your life giving you warning that there may be a problem that supersedes ALL other problems u think you may or may not have.

I think I'm 75% there as far as choosing another career. Even if I do get my medical back following the FAA's steps as you guys mentioned, I still have the issue of getting hired with a DUI on my record.
With that said, flying still isn't something I'm really willing to give up - I've been flying since I was 15, soloed on my 16th license on my 17th etc etc. I'm still in my (late) 20s so flying is all I really know/knew. Whether or not it ultimately is a career, I'm still not willing to give it up. I contacted leftseat dot com for additional information.
Is the inpatient something like a sober house where you still have the option of leaving to go to a job during the day, or is it truly inpatient, such as in a clinic setting. I just don't have enough $$ sitting around to give up a month of income.
Thanks again