MIP...this has been asked, I know

gobuffs10

New Member
Hello everyone. First post here, and I'm sorry that it has to be regarding this.

I'm looking into getting into Metro State in Denver's aviation department and learning to fly. I know another guy in the school and have heard that he is worried about getting clearance to fly because of his MIPs and traffic violations (don't know the details on those).

I have 3 Minor in Possessions (2 in one county, 1 in another). They were from when I was 18 and 19 (I'm now 21). I received a deferred sentence on all of them, and so far one has been dismissed. I was getting a background check for the military and my recruiter said none of them even showed up, so I'm not sure what the deal is, but my other 2 should be dismissed within the month (I was tried for both at once).

My big concern when reading the other posts on this topic were the being detained. Like an idiot teenager, I skipped my court date for the first two. When I got the third one, I was taken to the drunk tank to sober up and then I was held for a day until my $700 bond could be paid. I went to court, got the classes and community service, got my license taken for 3 months, and was on my way.

I worry that, if I do decide that I love this enough to pursue it as a career, that I will have to check the dreaded 'have you ever been arrested, detained or indicted' box and I will be screwed.

Will the MIPs not show up since they have/are being dismissed? My recruiter at the time, as I said, told me none of them even came up on a state background check. And how about the day in jail?

I know it was dumb and I learned from it. I finished everything and haven't had so much as a speeding ticket since (about a year and a half now).

Should I forget this whole deal, or is it possible that this isn't as big as I think it is? Thanks so much.

-Ryan
 
I should probably defer to the more experienced heads on the forum, especially those who worked in recruiting, but here's my take, for what it's worth:

One MIP, probably not that big of a deal, especially if a few years have passed. It largely depends on the job market at the time; from what I've seen in this industry, the flood gates are either wide open or slam shut. When companies are desparate for employees, I could see them easily overlooking an MIP if you don't B.S. them about it and convince them it doesn't point to more serious issues in your life. On the other hand, when the job market is tight, all things being equal, they'll take the person without the record over the person with the record.

But three? I'd say you're looking at an uphill battle, especially since it's been a relatively short period of time since these incidents occured. Unfortunately, this shows a pattern of behavior that may keep you out of the big leagues for quite some time if ever. The onus will be on you to prove you can accept a certain level of responsibility (the missed court dates don't help). If I personally were looking at you as a candidate, I'd probably want to see at least 5 years with a clean record, and even then I'd scrutinize your application very closely. I'd never say never, but anything alcohol-related in your background is a huge minus, especially if it's a trend. I hope I don't sound too much like a ######bag, if so I apologize.
 
:yeahthat:
You got three deferred? They told me you get one mulligan per life time, MAYBE two if they are both minor and totally unalike. But three for the same thing. Damn son.
Did you get you record expunged as well or just get the charges deferred? If your record wasn't expunged then there should be a record of the arrest at least. However most applications I've seen ask about convictions. For a higher security clearances I've heard that even expunged records will come up again. You can cross that bridge when you get to it.
Don't ask me how I know this.
 
I'd heavily suggest paying for a full background check of yourself to see what pops up.
 
Thanks for the responses. germ, you were helpful, don't worry about coming off as a dbag (you didn't, by the way). I am looking for no sympathy or illusions. I made some bad choices and they caught up with me. And Sharkey, yeah, I am quite lucky I made out how I did.

I guess all I can really take from this is that it will be a good 4 years from the incident before I even try to start doing CFI stuff anyhow (assuming I do pursue this) and it's just more time to distance myself from my mistakes. The best thing I think I can do at this point is to continue to keep out of trouble.

Doug, how do I go about paying for said background check?

Thanks again for all of the information. I have one more guy to talk to (family friend is a Frontier captain) and I'm going to see what he says before I make any decisions. Take care all.
 
Keep in mind that most airlines don't use state background checks, a lot of them use FBI background checks. The big deal about that is the FBI's background check can find deferred sentences, exponged records, etc. because they can find all records of you being in court. The best thing to do would be to check the box and explain what you learned from them.
 
I'd heavily suggest paying for a full background check of yourself to see what pops up.

:yeahthat:

Go to the FBI website. There is a form on there somewhere where you can request a copy of your own background check. It involves getting fingerprinted, filling out the FBI form, and sending a money order for like $50. They will run your prints, and if anything shows up, they'll send you back a form showing what showed up. If nothing shows up, they send back your fingerprint card stamped "no record." The whole process takes several weeks (government office, go figure).
 
Back
Top