Background Checks

Misslindsley

Misslindsley

Active Member
Hello all,

So I have been intrigued with a career in aviation since last summer. However, I learned that most probable, I wouldn't pass the health exam due to my stupid decisions in my early 20's to be a pilot. Is it safe to assume that I would have to pass this same health exam for work in dispatch? I am a very healthy individual now, as wisdom comes with age. I don't want to invest any time in moving forward with this if I will be told no. I read that to be a pilot, you cannot be on more than one anti-depressant at one time, and for it to be a minimal time. I am on an anti-depressant. (Honestly, so many people should probably look into education on depression and the symptoms of it, but that's neither here nor there...)

Thank you in advance!
 
Dispatchers are not required to hold a medical certificate and are not subjected to the same aeromedical requirements. As previously mentioned, all you need do is pass a FAA drug test for your typical illegal drugs.

Dispatchers, being in safety sensitive positions, are subjected to random tests throughout their careers.

Good luck!
 
You can be on all kinds of legal drugs (dont ask me how I know haha) and be a dispatcher. The FAA only tests for the illegal stuff.
 
Just to be on the safe side, ask your doctor if that prescription is ok with the FAA. If so, no problem. If not there maybe something else you can take.

Yes the feds only check for illegal ones, yet if there is an incident and a full drug test is taken then whether it is a legal prescription or not, if ones judgement can be affected then guess what, you may be partially to blame.

It is always better to know up front.
 
F9DXER said:
Just to be on the safe side, ask your doctor if that prescription is ok with the FAA. If so, no problem. If not there maybe something else you can take.

Yes the feds only check for illegal ones, yet if there is an incident and a full drug test is taken then whether it is a legal prescription or not, if ones judgement can be affected then guess what, you may be partially to blame.

It is always better to know up front.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, there is no list of prescriptions you are not allowed to take or anything that is not "OK with the FAA" as a dispatcher. There is a list of proscribed medicines for pilots but it doesn't apply in our case. Obviously, if you're on morphine due to an accident you probably shouldn't try and dispatch, but you're left up to your own judgement. Legally, as long as you have a doctor's prescription, there is nothing in the regs saying you can't work as a dispatcher no matter what you are taking. I personally would like to see some firmer official guidelines, so if anyone has a reference to something along those lines for dispatchers, please share it here.,,,but I've never been able to find anything.
 
Hello to everyone here! I just recently signed up on here and I'm considering taking a flight dispatcher certification course. I'm extremely fortunate I was able to find this forum in my online research about this field! So many of you are so helpful and insightful with your suggestions and experiences. I have learned so much in a short period of time about what I might be getting myself into. Seems every time I've had a newbie question I have found a suitable answer on here so far. I'm sure I will have many many more questions but for now I'm just reading all these posts and absorbing everything you guys have to offer.

One huge question I have and I've heard different answers in regards to background checks is the realistic chances of me getting hired by ANYONE in the airline industry with a recent DUI (3 yrs ago). Some. Say depends on the airline and as long as I'm up front about it. Some say that I can't get hired under FAA guidelines and if I have to fly into Canada with my job. Just wondering if this career move is something I should pursue now or am I SOL? I'm a bartender in Las Vegas and it's easy to get carried away in this town and eventually make a mistake. I've learned my lesson big time and go to AA now and am dedicated to advancing my life in a positive direction. Any advice or insight would be great before I waste time and money on this!
 
I know DUI's are an issue for pilot licenses and renewals but I don't think they are for dispatchers, as far as getting the license itself. Now, as far as filling out job applications...you might have to disclose it there when whichever airline you are applying with asks if you've ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or a felony. However I am not aware of any FAA guidelines that would prohibit employment.
 
I've had this question asked to me buy a student of mine. I talked with a few airline people and it is really up to the airline. As long as there isn't a record of repeated offenses you will be fine.
 
Maniax and Nyk, your comments make me feel a lot more optimistic plus I received similar responses from Jeppesen and IFOD reps. I asked Sheffield as well and will see what they say. I feel a lot better about it now and will continue my path to a flight dispatch career. Just wanted to be sure I didn't have any roadblocks to getting a job before I spent a decent amount of time and money not too mention the shake up in my regular life this career move would bring.
 
Caseykcm said:
Just wondering if this career move is something I should pursue now or am I SOL
Click to expand...

You should have no problem getting hired by a regional airline. A major airline thats another story. There is no shortage of people with dispatch licenses both internal and external that have clean records and lots of credentials. If you have a DUI, it could easily cause your application to be filtered out.

It doesnt mean a major wont hire you. It does mean that you will need to create an excellent reputation, make many good connections, and try to advance up the ranks into supervisory roles at whatever regional, supplemental you go to. You will need to find ways to make yourself stand out from the crowd even more than most others do. There are so many people with clean records to compete with.

Some airline even regionals will see a DUI as being too high of a risk to take a chance on. Its the same for pilots.
 
What is it they say in Vegas... Roll the dice. a lot of folks telling you a lot of things that may or may not work out.
One thing I would say is to not bring it up in public. It seems youve found AA for that. They are qualified to help.
if someone hires you or wants to hire you but knows that you have publicly annouced your
issue, they may change their minds. If it's just between you and HR and the OCC manager...then wink wink say no more. The jobs yours.
ive had friends try to come out to me or "confess" their dirty little secrets and I say Noooo Thank you. I have no need for that info. It becomes a liability.
Lets just watch the game.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top