DUI/DWI and the Regionals

[dj4wrd]

A little over three years ago we had some epic storms in LA. While driving home from a party, I drove around a bend on Pacific Coast Highway and was confronted with a boulder the size of my truck in the middle of the road. Landslide. At 70mph I swerved to miss it, and did. That’s when my top heavy Land Rover decided to get squirelly and rolled 6 times. A single car accident on a rainy night. Avoidable? I don’t see how. I had a few drinks, and passed the field sobriety test, but failed the breathalizer. DUI. I didn’t think that having a few drinks over a few hours would get me in trouble when I decided to drive home that night. I felt sober. I had done it before. None of that matters when the unexpected happens. Like a boulder sitting on the otherside of a blind curve in the middle of the road at 3am. Cops, judges don’t care. And they shouldn't. Drunk or sober, this accident would have happened. I only tell this story because I had never been one to push myself to drive when having a couple drinks. I’ve played designated driver, taken keys from friends and myself. It caught up with me, and it could very well catch up with you. Don’t be stupid like me.

Now I sit here with over 1000TT and think about getting on with a Regional. The one Regional I wanted to go to has told me to not even bother applying if I’ve had a DUI within the last 5yrs. A harsh reality. So, I’m asking if anyone else out there has had a DUI and been hired on with a Regional in a short span of time. Should I squash the RJ dream for another couple of years, or perhaps all together? Maybe there is a Captain out there with a DUI on his/her record too? Captain is my goal, but if the DUI is going to stop that, I’d like to know now so I can focus on something other than the Regionals. Please feel free to PM me if you don’t want to make it a public post. I’ll take any kind of info or feedback.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I just wanted to lay it all out there so yalz think twice before drinking and getting behind the wheel. Again, and feedback would be most appreciated. Thanks!!

[Brian Z]

70mph on PCH and add wet roads!!! How is the accident not your fault? Hate to tell you, but that is poor judgment. Your car did not get squirelly. You exceeded the capabilities of your auto.

It sounds like you will just need to wait it out.

[dj4wrd]

Originally Posted by Brian Z

70mph on PCH and add wet roads!!! How is the accident not your fault? Hate to tell you, but that is poor judgment. Your car did not get squirelly. You exceeded the capabilities of your auto.

It sounds like you will just need to wait it out.

Yes it's my fault, no doubt. And I do take full responsibility as I stated in my post. And I know about the poor judgement. Thanks for reminding me of all that. What I was looking for was anyone with some info like, "yea 5yrs is what I've heard of or seen", or "no, I got into a Regional and got a DUI on the way to my interview. there's hope.". Anyone with some info like this I would love to here from.

And by the way, 70 on PCH is relatively slow, wet or dry, at 3am. But boulders do happen, and thats what I wanted people to take from my story. Thanks for the feedback though.

[Doug Taylor]

I'm about to hop on a plane for work, so I'll be short.

1. How many?
2. And how long has it been since the last one?

Additionally, "own" the DUI, it happened, you have it, spin it into a positive story where you take responsibility and learned from it. They're going to want to see you take responsibility for the choices, not reaction to to the circumstance.

"I made a mistake. I learned XYZ. It's been N amount of years with no further problems with the law"

[WAFlyBoy]

Originally Posted by dj4wrd

Again, and feedback would be most appreciated. Thanks!!

I believe your tallest obstacle here will be your ability to legally enter Canada. If you haven't already done so, Google something like "entering canada dui." Since most RJ operators fly to Canada, this should probably be your primary concern in terms of your employability. (Assuming this is DUI # 1)

[PCL_128]

Some regionals will hire with this in your past. Majors are probably going to be out of reach for a while, though. Pinnacle definitely hires pilots with DUIs in the somewhat recent past. But Doug is right, you've got to answer the questions right in the interview. Take ownership, admit you screwed up, and talk about how you've learned from it.

[ljg]

Hey man, it's not out of reach.

I know a guy who just graduated from OKC with a multiple MIP history. He's in his late 20's now and straightened out. Don't ask me how the hell he did it, but attorney's were likely involved.

If you have to sit out for 5 years, would you consider taking a non-flying position with Choice #1 Regional? There's an opportunity there to grow and develop as a person, as well as get some credibility with the company that you want to fly for one day.

[moxiepilot]

i wouldnt stop applying. sure it might put you in a bind for a bit, but you're not the first and you wont be the last with a DUI.

keep interviewing and good luck

[WAFlyBoy]

Originally Posted by ljg

If you have to sit out for 5 years, would you consider taking a non-flying position with Choice #1 Regional? There's an opportunity there to grow and develop as a person, as well as get some credibility with the company that you want to fly for one day.

There's also the opportunity to grow as a pilot through other jobs. I'm pretty sure getting a job with a part 135 freight carrier wouldn't be that tough.

[dj4wrd]

Originally Posted by Doug Taylor

I'm about to hop on a plane for work, so I'll be short.

1. How many?
2. And how long has it been since the last one?

Additionally, "own" the DUI, it happened, you have it, spin it into a positive story where you take responsibility and learned from it. They're going to want to see you take responsibility for the choices, not reaction to to the circumstance.

"I made a mistake. I learned XYZ. It's been N amount of years with no further problems with the law"

One DUI, three years ago. Other than this, no issues with the law in the 36yrs I've been on the planet. I'll own it. I truely have learned from it. I just hope to have the opportunity to discuss it in the interview. Maybe my #1 choice is out of reach, but it looks like there may be other Regionals willing to take me on; Pinnacle. (not sure if that is a good thing, but I'll talk to them.) Thanks for the encouragement and all the positive feedback. Loves me some JC!

[ready2fly]

Originally Posted by dj4wrd

One DUI, three years ago. Other than this, no issues with the law in the 36yrs I've been on the planet. I'll own it. I truely have learned from it. I just hope to have the opportunity to discuss it in the interview. Maybe my #1 choice is out of reach, but it looks like there may be other Regionals willing to take me on; Pinnacle. (not sure if that is a good thing, but I'll talk to them.) Thanks for the encouragement and all the positive feedback. Loves me some JC!

dj4wrd:

The main thing is that you accept responibility for a poor judgment call, which it sounds like you have, and then just he honest about it when you interview.

I made the same bad call (I won't call it a "mistake" because I knew that I'd been drinking and shouldn't have been behind the wheel) once, and paid the piper just as you did (single car accident, nobody hurt execpt for my car, my record, and my self esteem).

I wasn't in the aviation community at the time and had no desires to do so . However, I did have to answer questions about it in just about every interview I had afterwards (both in the "real world" and for aviation jobs).

The important thing is that you do as Doug suggested and "own it." Be an adult, admit your poor judgment at the time and most importantly - do not try to explain it away (as you did in your original post). Once you fail the breathalizer - that's it. Game over. There is no explaining it away.

But, you know that already. What you do now is make damned sure it never happens again.

When I interviewed for my airline, I was most certainly asked about my DUI - and it had been 15 years since it occured. You will have to deal with it for the rest of your professional life.

But, that's the point: You will have that professional life if you do as I did and explain it was a poor judment decision on your part. It hasn't happened since, and it will never happen again.

Please feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions. I'd be glad to chat with you on where you go from here.

Be safe!

R2F

[Doug Taylor]

Originally Posted by dj4wrd

One DUI, three years ago. Other than this, no issues with the law in the 36yrs I've been on the planet. I'll own it. I truely have learned from it. I just hope to have the opportunity to discuss it in the interview. Maybe my #1 choice is out of reach, but it looks like there may be other Regionals willing to take me on; Pinnacle. (not sure if that is a good thing, but I'll talk to them.) Thanks for the encouragement and all the positive feedback. Loves me some JC!

Good news then. Positive or negative, you've got to totally "own" it.

It'll be a challenge, just like everything else, but make sure you put it out front, especially if you've got an inside recommendation for a job you're after, ok?

Go knock the bottom of it man!

[PCL_128]

Originally Posted by dj4wrd

but it looks like there may be other Regionals willing to take me on; Pinnacle. (not sure if that is a good thing, but I'll talk to them.)

It's very rare that I recommend working at Pinnacle to anyone, but I think it would be a good move in your case. You need to get a good record of responsibility behind you in order to advance in your career. The best carriers won't hire you with this in your background unless they see a decent period of time after the DUI in which you've worked for another airline and not had any further incidents. It would do you a lot of good for your career to work 5 years or so at Pinnacle to get that good record behind you, then the DUI starts to look like a mistake made many years ago, and you can claim that you've learned from it.

[Michigan_Flyer]

What kind of flying are you doing now? If you don't get hired by a regional in the near future go fly some cargo for Flight Express or a similar place. That will improve your marketability and start to push any skeletons in your closet closer to the back burner.

[cencal83406]

Originally Posted by Brian Z

70mph on PCH and add wet roads!!! How is the accident not your fault? Hate to tell you, but that is poor judgment. Your car did not get squirelly. You exceeded the capabilities of your auto.

It sounds like you will just need to wait it out.

Dude 70 MPH on a highway is nothing. Never drink and drive of course, but I always do 80+ on freeways/highways. The highway isn't there to hang out for a Sunday drive!

[ljg]

Originally Posted by cencal83406

Dude 70 MPH on a highway is nothing. Never drink and drive of course, but I always do 80+ on freeways/highways. The highway isn't there to hang out for a Sunday drive!

Complete BS...look up accident statistics sometime if you don't personally know someone hurt/killed by speeding/drunk/reckless driving.

[av8sean]

Originally Posted by cencal83406

Dude 70 MPH on a highway is nothing. Never drink and drive of course, but I always do 80+ on freeways/highways. The highway isn't there to hang out for a Sunday drive!

Firstly, for anyone reading this... you DON'T have to take a field sobriety test or breath test. It is your right to wait to get to the police station/hospital and request a blood test. You will be arrested and handcuffed, but those breath tests can be unreliable and that extra hour to the police station could mean the difference between a DUI or not. Especially in a marginal situation like this. Of course, not drinking and driving in the first place is the right move.


And... 70mph on the PCH in the rain in a range rover is asking for trouble... I wouldn't flaunt that part of your story in an interview.

[ljg]

Originally Posted by av8sean

Firstly, for anyone reading this... you DON'T have to take a field sobriety test or breath test. It is your right to wait to get to the police station/hospital and request a blood test. You will be arrested and handcuffed, but those breath tests can be unreliable and that extra hour to the police station could mean the difference between a DUI or not. Especially in a marginal situation like this. Of course, not drinking and driving in the first place is the right move.


And... 70mph on the PCH in the rain in a range rover is asking for trouble... I wouldn't flaunt that part of your story in an interview.

Aren't you subject to Certificate Action from the FAA if you refuse field sobriety upon reasonable request from a law enforcement officer?

[v1valarob]

Originally Posted by cencal83406

Dude 70 MPH on a highway is nothing. Never drink and drive of course, but I always do 80+ on freeways/highways. The highway isn't there to hang out for a Sunday drive!

Yea, its pisses me off when people hang out in the left lane doing 55/65 with the excuse "its the speed limit."

Maybe its the fact that I think that Americans are just dumb drivers in general after you visit england/Germany and people just seem to be smarter on the road.

-Rob

[ljg]

Originally Posted by v1valarob

Yea, its pisses me off when people hang out in the left lane doing 55/65 with the excuse "its the speed limit."

Maybe its the fact that I think that Americans are just dumb drivers in general after you visit england/Germany and people just seem to be smarter on the road.

-Rob

Yeah, until a boulder falls out in front of you on the highway you're speeding on.

[Maurus]

Originally Posted by v1valarob

Yea, its pisses me off when people hang out in the left lane doing 55/65 with the excuse "its the speed limit."

Maybe its the fact that I think that Americans are just dumb drivers in general after you visit england/Germany and people just seem to be smarter on the road.

-Rob

Not to mention they have the autobahn...

[Hootie]

Hey man no worries!
Just make SURE that was your last one. A friend of mine who had 1500tt and was ready to go off the regionals got a DUI and it turned out to be a good thing. He flys a gulfstream now and makes 70-80k as an FO. I also know that Mesa WILL hire you for sure. I have a good buddy who is now a check airmen there, and while talking with the chief pilot over applicants he was told that "as long as it isn't a violent felony" they can hire them. I do know that my last company Ameriflight couldn't hire you if the DUI was less than one year old, and I am not sure how my current employer views the situation. But I would imagine that three years is starting to get a good amount distance from the incident. Hope this helps! Good luck!

[dj4wrd]

I'm feelin the love. Thanks to all for your suggestions and positive feedback. Before I posted this yesterday, I had lost hope after speaking with a regional recruiter and being told I would have to wait a few more years. I'll own it, go out there, hope for the best. All I can do. Loves me some JC!

[bwade210]

I think that you will be fine. Join up with AOPA legal services and ask them for advice. Keep your head up and your goals high! I know a person that I went to flight school with that recently was hired on with Republic that recieved a DUI charge and a marijuana possession in college. Last tiem we talked he was in training so I am sure you can do it too.

[samuel_57]

If this is youre first DUI/DWI dont the courts usually put you on porbation and then it goes away.