Background check question

Busta McRuffsta

Busta McRuffsta

The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla
I have always been curious how much info about your aviation background a company can access about you in a background check. Obviously honesty is always the best policy and I'm not saying I would ever lie or conceal anything from a potential employer, nor do I encourage it. However...

With the current emphasis on checkride busts, can an airline find out how many you have busted while running a background check and can they find out in which areas you were deficient?

Will a background check reveal any accidents or violations on your record?

Is there a limitation to how long information stays on your record?

Again, I'm well aware that honesty is always the best policy and would never hide anything from a future employer. Just wondering..
 
Busta McRuffsta said:
I have always been curious how much info about your aviation background a company can access about you in a background check. Obviously honesty is always the best policy and I'm not saying I would ever lie or conceal anything from a potential employer, nor do I encourage it. However...

With the current emphasis on checkride busts, can an airline find out how many you have busted while running a background check and can they find out in which areas you were deficient?

Will a background check reveal any accidents or violations on your record?

Is there a limitation to how long information stays on your record?

Again, I'm well aware that honesty is always the best policy and would never hide anything from a future employer. Just wondering..
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Meh, in today's day an age of "OMG, you farted sideways once!!!????", I would certainly consider not revealing things if I could get away with it.

To your other questions. Yes, yes, and right now it's 10 years for the pria, but I believe there's legislation to make this unlimited.
 
Busta McRuffsta said:
I have always been curious how much info about your aviation background a company can access about you in a background check. Obviously honesty is always the best policy and I'm not saying I would ever lie or conceal anything from a potential employer, nor do I encourage it. However...

With the current emphasis on checkride busts, can an airline find out how many you have busted while running a background check and can they find out in which areas you were deficient?

Will a background check reveal any accidents or violations on your record?

Is there a limitation to how long information stays on your record?

Again, I'm well aware that honesty is always the best policy and would never hide anything from a future employer. Just wondering..
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In short: yes, possibly, absolutely (that's the point), and I do not recall, the FAA recently changed its expunction policy.


Sent from Seat 3D
 
Busta McRuffsta said:
I have always been curious how much info about your aviation background a company can access about you in a background check. Obviously honesty is always the best policy and I'm not saying I would ever lie or conceal anything from a potential employer, nor do I encourage it. However...

With the current emphasis on checkride busts, can an airline find out how many you have busted while running a background check and can they find out in which areas you were deficient?

Will a background check reveal any accidents or violations on your record?

Is there a limitation to how long information stays on your record?

Again, I'm well aware that honesty is always the best policy and would never hide anything from a future employer. Just wondering..
Click to expand...

Checkride busts? Absolutely they can see those. Why you failed or what areas you were defecient in? No...they don't care. Keep in mind that failed "stage checks" or "progress checks" at your local flight school don't count.

Violations? Incidents? Accidents? Big yes to all three.

There is really very little you can hide within aviation.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
In short: yes, possibly, absolutely (that's the point), and I do not recall, the FAA recently changed its expunction policy.


Sent from Seat 3D
Click to expand...

The expunction policy is currently unlimited. The FAA has established a database that airlines now log into to comply with PRIA requirements. Records in the database are held on to until the pilot dies. Warning notices and Letters of correction (administrative enforcement actions) remain unaffected and will continue to be expunged.

More info:
https://www.federalregister.gov/art...on-expungement-of-certain-enforcement-actions
and
http://www.faa.gov/pilots/lic_cert/pria/guidance/pilotfaq/
 
I have nothing to hide, however, I do not want any surprise questions in an interview. This is why I'm very curious about the tools HR departments use to dig on people. Of course you have the supposed (to most of us) gimmies (Facebook, FAA, DMV, justice system) but how far are most HR depts willing to go? For example, the driving record is a very common worry. WI goes back 5 years, but I've heard people claim that HR can go back further? Now I can't imagine what kind of resources you'd need to expend to do that kind of search on people.
 
falconvalley said:
I have nothing to hide, however, I do not want any surprise questions in an interview. This is why I'm very curious about the tools HR departments use to dig on people. Of course you have the supposed (to most of us) gimmies (Facebook, FAA, DMV, justice system) but how far are most HR depts willing to go? For example, the driving record is a very common worry. WI goes back 5 years, but I've heard people claim that HR can go back further? Now I can't imagine what kind of resources you'd need to expend to do that kind of search on people.
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Driving records usually have associated court records. At least in Iowa. I can go on and search anyone in a matter of minutes. My DMV record comes back clear, but the court records show the speeding ticket I got in 2003.
 
embraer07 said:
Checkride busts? Absolutely they can see those. Why you failed or what areas you were defecient in? No...they don't care. Keep in mind that failed "stage checks" or "progress checks" at your local flight school don't count.

Violations? Incidents? Accidents? Big yes to all three.

There is really very little you can hide within aviation.
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Big negative to most of this.

When an air carrier requests your records from the FAA via PRIA, all they get is a one page letter, which lists the ratings (including CFI, A&P, Flight Engineer, etc) as of your last certificate issue, your last medical (class and limitations, if any), and any open investigations or closed investigations that resulted in a violation. Accidents/ incidents are not disclosed unless they were part of a violation or current investigation. You could have an ATP and have failed every single checkride 13 times each, and this is not disclosed. You could have failed every written 18 times each, and this is not disclosed.

However, if you have worked for any 121 or 135 air carriers within the previous 5 years, you are required to disclose this to your new air carrier, and they are required to get your training records from your previous companies in that time frame. Thus, if you failed line checks, PC's, initial or upgrade training, etc, this will obviously show up in those records, but this has nothing to do with the FAA.

With respect to criminal background checks, this is done through the FBI's database, which only discloses things that you have been convicted of. An employer can ask all they want about arrest records, etc, but unless you authorize a state by state search, they'll never see that you were ever charged with anything, unless it resulted in a conviction.

As to the National Driver Register, this is a national database which the states report serious infractions to (like reckless driving, suspended/ revoked license, DUI, etc). Unless you request a report from your state's DMV, and supply this to your company, they'll never see the ticket you got last year from running a stop sign.
 
Patrick said:
Big negative to most of this.

When an air carrier requests your records from the FAA via PRIA, all they get is a one page letter, which lists the ratings (including CFI, A&P, Flight Engineer, etc) as of your last certificate issue, your last medical (class and limitations, if any), and any open investigations or closed investigations that resulted in a violation. Accidents/ incidents are not disclosed unless they were part of a violation or current investigation. You could have an ATP and have failed every single checkride 13 times each, and this is not disclosed. You could have failed every written 18 times each, and this is not disclosed.
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I had heard that records that they receive are as you describe; however, as the previous posts indicate, there is a lot of conflicting information of the subject. Which information is accurate?
 
Patrick said:
Big negative to most of this.

When an air carrier requests your records from the FAA via PRIA, all they get is a one page letter, which lists the ratings (including CFI, A&P, Flight Engineer, etc) as of your last certificate issue, your last medical (class and limitations, if any), and any open investigations or closed investigations that resulted in a violation. Accidents/ incidents are not disclosed unless they were part of a violation or current investigation. You could have an ATP and have failed every single checkride 13 times each, and this is not disclosed. You could have failed every written 18 times each, and this is not disclosed.

However, if you have worked for any 121 or 135 air carriers within the previous 5 years, you are required to disclose this to your new air carrier, and they are required to get your training records from your previous companies in that time frame. Thus, if you failed line checks, PC's, initial or upgrade training, etc, this will obviously show up in those records, but this has nothing to do with the FAA.

With respect to criminal background checks, this is done through the FBI's database, which only discloses things that you have been convicted of. An employer can ask all they want about arrest records, etc, but unless you authorize a state by state search, they'll never see that you were ever charged with anything, unless it resulted in a conviction.

As to the National Driver Register, this is a national database which the states report serious infractions to (like reckless driving, suspended/ revoked license, DUI, etc). Unless you request a report from your state's DMV, and supply this to your company, they'll never see the ticket you got last year from running a stop sign.
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This is a little gray. Iowa, for example, doesn't disclose most misdemeanors and some felonies to the National Crime Information Center. If you're finger printed however, this goes in the National Fingerprint File and that arrest would show up on an NCIC search, which is what the air carrier gets back from the TSA, who gets this information from the NCIC, which is maintained by the FBI.
 
Busta McRuffsta said:
I had heard that records that they receive are as you describe; however, as the previous posts indicate, there is a lot of conflicting information of the subject. Which information is accurate?
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You'll get a copy of the same letter that your air carrier gets, as long as you request copies (which you should always do). I've seen my personal copies as well as the records that were sent to my air carrier, and it is just the single page letter.

The new law passed last year will result in the FAA maintaining a database, which air carriers will report training records to, so in the future, instead of filling out multiple paper forms and having them mailed around (both to the FAA and your previous air carriers), your new company will be able to make an electronic request to the database, and all the records will just show up. From what I've read, this will still not include anything pertaining to your basic Part 61/ 91/ 141 flight training records.
 
Patrick said:
The new law passed last year will result in the FAA maintaining a database, which air carriers will report training records to, so in the future, instead of filling out multiple paper forms and having them mailed around (both to the FAA and your previous air carriers), your new company will be able to make an electronic request to the database, and all the records will just show up. From what I've read, this will still not include anything pertaining to your basic Part 61/ 91/ 141 flight training records.
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I would almost argue that it should, though.
 
Patrick said:
With respect to criminal background checks, this is done through the FBI's database, which only discloses things that you have been convicted of. An employer can ask all they want about arrest records, etc, but unless you authorize a state by state search, they'll never see that you were ever charged with anything, unless it resulted in a conviction.
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So if it's been expunged locally, you still have to get it expunged from the FBI's database? How would you search the FBI database?
 
If you go on their website you can get directions. Basically you go get fingerprinted at your local police dept and send those in with the form on the website. Fingerprinting and FBI report cost a little.
 
Autothrust Blue said:
I would almost argue that it should, though.
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Completely disagree. The primary flight training environment is supposed to be a learning environment, and for better or worse, failure is frequently an integral part of learning. On the flip side, once you become a professional pilot, you know the expectations that you are to be measured by, are supposed to take it seriously (this IS your career, after all), and in practical terms, if you can't pass a PC in the aircraft that you get paid to fly everyday, well, Houston, we have a problem!
 
mshunter said:
So if it's been expunged locally, you still have to get it expunged from the FBI's database? How would you search the FBI database?
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You can request your records from the FBI. You have to get fingerprinted (on the FBI cards, NOT your local PD's cards), and then you send in your cards along with a money order for about $100 to the FBI. They will send you back one of two things:

a) If no records exist, you get your cards back, with an FBI stamp stating "no record."

b) If records do exist, you'll get a copy of them.

If you do the above procedure, and find that there is something on your record that was not done by you, there is a procedure to get this expunged, but at that point, I think I'd be consulting my attorney as well.
 
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