Can I Still Be a Pilot?

Hello. I’m an 18 year old high school student about to graduate, and when i just turned 18 i got in trouble for possession of drug paraphernalia. I was trying marijuana with a friend and was caught, the case was dismissed however I know it will appear on federal background checks. I have taken programs for flying that were accesible to me in high school, i plan to begin training in the fall. I also know my best option is to be honest in interviews which I’m not afraid to do to show I really am a good kid. I interview well and have been told i will be a good fit for the industry. Am I wasting my time trying though? I’ve wanted to be a pilot from a young age and it is my dream. I have a 3.5 gpa as well. Thank You.

Kade,

First let’s be honest here, if you were truly a “good fit” and this was REALLY “your dream” you wouldn’t have done something stupid like smoking pot AND doing it somewhere you could be caught. Not trying to knock you down but you also claim to “interview well” which I’m curious how many airline interviews you’ve had? Now that we got that out of the way I think you’ll be fine. Fortunately (or maybe not) the Regionals are desperate and if this is (and remains) your only offense after a few years it should be minor explanation but if it happens again you’ve got a history and a pattern going and justifiably you’ll be done. You see you sound incredibly confident which is not a bad thing but for someone who claims that aviation is their goal your actions speak otherwise. I recommend you keep yourself squeaky clean and work on your humility.

Adam

1 Like

I apologize. I didn’t intend to come across as incredibly confident because I’m not. I meant my past instructor told me he believed I would fit well in the industry. I made a mistake at a bad time and I’m glad i was caught before I found myself down a bad path. Thank you for you’re response.