Reckless driving charge and airline work

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Pl93

Filing Flight Plan
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May 29, 2026
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Pl93
2 years ago I got a dui pled down to reckless. I have a first class medical, took me a year to get back, and I am a CFI. I am at 600 hours. My lawyer and AME all say I should have no issues with finding a job at the regionals and airlines. However I am very worried. I don’t want to hear about peoples opinions but would love to hear the actual path of someone who has been through this. It was a mistake and one I regret literally everyday. I was pulled over for speeding and admitted to having had 2 drinks at dinner in a zero tolerance state. I have jumped through all the FAA hoops and been cleared and I am looking for advice for what to except moving forward and what I can do to increase my hiring chances once I reach hours.
 
You don't want to hear "opinions" but anyone that has gone down this path may have done it in a different market.
I am going to guess it doesn't help. The current ecosystem is a seller's market. The applicant pool is huge right now and 1500 hours with min multi was great 2 years ago.
4 years ago, "Breathe on this mirror" was all you needed to be able to do. It is so volatile and at the current moment, a ton of Spirit pilots just raised the bar for entry.

Real advice. If you are a CFI and are at 600 hours. Join a cadet program. Cadets at my company (and I assume others) are prioritized above everyone else.
They jump to the front of the hiring line and they have the highest seniority in the class. My advice to anyone wanting an airline gig is go the cadet route.
 
I know someone who had the DUI dismissed and a new charge of reckless driving. It sounds like you just had yours reduced to reckless?
 
Pl93 said:
2 years ago I got a dui pled down to reckless. I have a first class medical, took me a year to get back, and I am a CFI. I am at 600 hours. My lawyer and AME all say I should have no issues with finding a job at the regionals and airlines. However I am very worried. I don’t want to hear about peoples opinions but would love to hear the actual path of someone who has been through this. It was a mistake and one I regret literally everyday. I was pulled over for speeding and admitted to having had 2 drinks at dinner in a zero tolerance state. I have jumped through all the FAA hoops and been cleared and I am looking for advice for what to except moving forward and what I can do to increase my hiring chances once I reach hours.
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I don't know of any "zero tolerance" states, except for underage.
 
I think it goes without question, you have to put time, flight hours and a clean record between the event. I don’t think it’s a ‘show-stopper’. I would continue forward, accumulate hours then have some type of plan to address the issue, if brought up in an interview.

Speaking of hiring, things ebb & flow, 3 years from now likely some change in the hiring market.
 
The answer is that the airlines don't want potential HIMS cases if they can avoid it. You're going to have a tough slog. Just about any other special issuance would be a different story.
 
Pl93 said:
My lawyer and AME all say I should have no issues with finding a job at the regionals and airlines.
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Did they give a basis for that opinion? Did they consider the current job market?

Put yourself in an employer’s shoes for a moment. You have five candidates for one slot. One has a recent DUI, the four others are squeaky clean. They’re comparable otherwise. Which one will be at the bottom of your list?

Your challenge is to find ways to make yourself better than those other candidates. More hours? More varied experience? CFI of the year award? F16 ace? I don’t know the right answer, but you need some positives to offset the DUI negative.

Even then, it’s entirely possible you won’t make it past the initial HR / AI screening.

The hiring situation ebbs and flows. Eventually they will again be hiring anyone with a pulse, but that’s not the situation today and it might be quite a few years before the hiring boom comes around again.

Look for alternatives.
 
flyingron said:
The answer is that the airlines don't want potential HIMS cases if they can avoid it. You're going to have a tough slog. Just about any other special issuance would be a different story.
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That’s not true at all. You either have a medical or you don’t. That’s all they care about.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
That’s not true at all. You either have a medical or you don’t. That’s all they care about.
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Yea, and when you go the grocery I suppose you buy bruised apples. BMV record review will be part of the hiring process.
 
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Clip4 said:
Yea, and when you go the grocery I suppose you buy bruised apples. BMV record review will be part of the hiring process.
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Yeah it is. And the airlines know they can’t use HIMS as a reason not to hire someone.

I personally know several pilots that were hired at legacy airlines with alcohol related special issuance medicals.

Stop talking with confidence about things you have no knowledge.
 
The medical isn't the issue. It's the criminal history. In the states where the legacies hire, convictions are fair game in the hiring process. Don't believe the legacies can't read between the lines on the wet reckless downpleas.
 
flyingron said:
The medical isn't the issue. It's the criminal history. In the states where the legacies hire, convictions are fair game in the hiring process. Don't believe the legacies can't read between the lines on the wet reckless downpleas.
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As long as the applicant doesn’t lie on their application it’s not a deal breaker. Most people that end up in HIMS have some type of criminal driving record and arrest history.

I’ll tell you the same thing I told clip4. Stop speaking so confidently about things you have no knowledge. You are very opinionated without knowing ****.
 
Ok,
Tarheelpilot said:
Yeah it is. And the airlines know they can’t use HIMS as a reason not to hire someone.

I personally know several pilots that were hired at legacy airlines with alcohol related special issuance medicals.

Stop talking with confidence about things you have no knowledge.
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So airlines don’t look at criminal records and BMV records in their hiring process? 4 years ago, airlines hired anyone with a pulse and certificates and hours. Under law, the employers can’t even ask about medical issues, but BMV records aren’t medical.

Given a number of candidates of equal qualifications, the one with poor driving record will not get the job. This is just a fact in when HR hires anyone for a safety related position.

The part you fail to include in you story was how long those pilots had to interview for jobs
how long it was since their convictions and what were there qualifications.
 
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Clip4 said:
Ok,

So airlines don’t look at criminal records and BMV records in their hiring process? 4 years ago, airlines hired anyone with a pulse and certificates and hours. Under law, the employers can’t even ask about medical issues, but BMV records aren’t medical.

Given a number of candidates of equal qualifications, the one with poor driving record will not get the job. This is just a fact in when HR hires anyone for a safety related position.

The part you fail to include in you story was how long those pilots had to interview for jobs
how long it was since their convictions and what were there qualifications.
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Your post wasn’t full of detail either. No need for me to have all that in mine. Love how you like to move goal posts around so that you can feel like you are less full of ****.

I never said it had no impact at all. Simply that it was not the end of a career. People get hired with criminal records and alcohol history consistently in this industry. I know several people in those groups. All working at legacy carriers.

You are wrong to assert otherwise.
 
hypoxia said:
I know someone who had the DUI dismissed and a new charge of reckless driving. It sounds like you just had yours reduced to reckless?
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I was never charged with a DUI. It’s just reckless driving charge. Same event. That person you know are they a pilot? And if so how did the hiring process go for them?
 
Yes. I was told that it really comes down to having a good answer in the overview and taking accountability/learning and growing from the mistake. Besides this my driving record is clean and always has been. I’m hoping to be at hours within the year which makes the incident 3 years old as well.
sourdough44 said:
I think it goes without question, you have to put time, flight hours and a clean record between the event. I don’t think it’s a ‘show-stopper’. I would continue forward, accumulate hours then have some type of plan to address the issue, if brought up in an interview.

Speaking of hiring, things ebb & flow, 3 years from now likely some change in the hiring market.
Click to expand...
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
You don't want to hear "opinions" but anyone that has gone down this path may have done it in a different market.
I am going to guess it doesn't help. The current ecosystem is a seller's market. The applicant pool is huge right now and 1500 hours with min multi was great 2 years ago.
4 years ago, "Breathe on this mirror" was all you needed to be able to do. It is so volatile and at the current moment, a ton of Spirit pilots just raised the bar for entry.

Real advice. If you are a CFI and are at 600 hours. Join a cadet program. Cadets at my company (and I assume others) are prioritized above everyone else.
They jump to the front of the hiring line and they have the highest seniority in the class. My advice to anyone wanting an airline gig is go the cadet route.
Click to expand...
I meant more that I don’t want people who don’t really have any knowledge on this to come on here and tell me I might as well quit and look for another career when that’s not the case. And I am in a cadet program.
 
A DUI is an uphill battle either way and the airlines are more picky these days. May be a deal breaker now but there’s plenty of people with black marks that got hired. You may just need to have a stellar resume to overcome this
 
jordane93 said:
A DUI is an uphill battle either way and the airlines are more picky these days. May be a deal breaker now but there’s plenty of people with black marks that got hired. You may just need to have a stellar resume to overcome this
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True. What makes a stellar resume? As in being a check instructor or something like that? I have my 50 multi. And all ratings up to MEI no checkride failures.
 
Lindberg said:
Wow, you're going to shut down half of POA with that kind of thinking.

To the OP, the first response is from a current airline pilot who recently went through the hiring process. The rest......
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It only bothers me in some very specific circumstances. Other times here I engage in the same behavior because it’s fun ya know.

I don’t want someone to read this thread and be discouraged about pursuing the career based on some uniformed and incorrect posts.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
It only bothers me in some very specific circumstances. Other times here I engage in the same behavior because it’s fun ya know.

I don’t want someone to read this thread and be discouraged about pursuing the career based on some uniformed and incorrect posts.
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So I should just keep pushing forward
 
The special issuance is NONE of their business.

Answering driving violation questions sort of lets the cat out of the bag… at that point, it’s HOW you answer, not WHAT.

Lastly, I can tell you, you DO NOT want ANYTHING to do with a legacy Airline’s hims program. Maintain your SI on your own.
 
Tools said:
The special issuance is NONE of their business.

Answering driving violation questions sort of lets the cat out of the bag… at that point, it’s HOW you answer, not WHAT.

Lastly, I can tell you, you DO NOT want ANYTHING to do with a legacy Airline’s hims program. Maintain your SI on your own.
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I do not have an SI it’s unrestricted and never in the HIMS program.
 
In terms of how it’s answered, should I hire an interview coach when the time comes? Or do you know of anyone who’s done it and have tips?
Tools said:
The special issuance is NONE of their business.

Answering driving violation questions sort of lets the cat out of the bag… at that point, it’s HOW you answer, not WHAT.

Lastly, I can tell you, you DO NOT want ANYTHING to do with a legacy Airline’s hims program. Maintain your SI on your own.
Click to expand...
 
Pl93 said:
I was never charged with a DUI. It’s just reckless driving charge. Same event. That person you know are they a pilot? And if so how did the hiring process go for them?
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In post 1 you stated, “2 years ago I got a dui pled down to reckless.” Now you say you were never charged with a DUI.

Both the original DUI charge and reckless conviction will appear in your BMV DR. If you were physically arrested and booked, the DUI arrest may be on your criminal record.
 
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Yes. Arrested for dui but charged/convicted for reckless. So not a dui conviction on my record. I know the airlines and FAA see them as one and the same. I blew way below FAA concerns and have an unrestricted first class medical. I’m aware this will be in my records for the airlines so I’m just asking how to navigate it as I know it’s possible but I like to be prepared. I am not hiding anything and have been honest and open with all parties. And have no intention of trying to hide it in interviews. I just want to handle it appropriately
Clip4 said:
In post 1 you stated, “2 years ago I got a dui pled down to reckless.” Now you say you were never charged with a DUI.

Both the original DUI charge and reckless conviction will appear in your BMV DR. If you were physically arrested and booked, the DUI arrest may be on your criminal record.
Click to expand...
 
Pl93 said:
I was never charged with a DUI. It’s just reckless driving charge. Same event. That person you know are they a pilot? And if so how did the hiring process go for them?
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Yes, a private pilot not looking for a career & no Uber/rideshare anywhere near. That's one good thing that is available in a city.
 
One thing not mentioned, there’s the wide range of flying jobs & companies. Of course, ‘top tier’ in a slow hiring climate, could be slow to get the call. What about the handful of years before Covid, ‘if you could fog a mirror’?

In that environment, then down the ladder a tad, the joke was, they may want you to have that DUI, unlikely to leave. It’s like the few that get hired without a 4 year degree, uncommon but doable.

I just think one has to press forward, give it your best effort. Of course, keeping the event as your only negative. Someone has to fly that rubber doggy-doo out of Hong Kong.
 
Someone said Airlines are wanting a four year degree Done in four years as a prerequisite to show commitment It’s never ending. Florida college here parents are complaining about taking over a year for their children to obtain ppl because of too many students and too few planes.

Here in Florida I don’t think you can swing a cat without hitting a aspiring airline pilot.
 
Airlines don’t care about commitment. They want people scared of losing their job to the point they’ll overlook maint, training and operational “issues”. Its that simple.

They don’t care about your ability to fly either… they can fix that.

What they need is people who can overlook that stuff and still get the job done, which they generally have. But the dynamic is changing, and incidents are on the rise. This is not gonna change for a good long while.

Interviews are deemed necessary, so they conduct them. But it’s as subjective as anything and generally meaningless in the big picture. Your inability to “pass” an interview means as little as your ability to rock one in the big operation picture.

It’s a little bit like a administrative medical…
 
When I was but 14 my dad gave me "the talk". One of the items was, "it's much better to have NO RECORD than to try to correct a record". So I would ask the OP: has he learned- is he totally abstinent? That's more important than any of the rest of this stuff (and also has some agency implications, too).

He can still get long term success.....but he won't if he hasn't gone "full sober".
 
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