Why no calls to interview? Is it my speeding tickets?

dustoff17 said:
THIS IS MY POINT! It's not the ticket(s), it's the repetative nature of the actions that concern me.
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Given that airlines have pretty well established hiring practices that include reviews of candidates' driving records, the case of the OP certainly raises eyebrows. If you can't stop speeding IF YOUR CAREER DEPENDED ON IT, there might be a problem. I think it might be a problem that can go away with strong references.

Beyond that, I'm slow to draw too many conclusions from speeding tickets. DUI, reckless driving, running stop signs, failing to yield - those are red flags for me. Speeding? Most cases of speeding don't represent much of a safety risk.

My primary point is that I don't believe that speeding tickets, in the absence of further evidence of risk-taking or dangerous behavior, has much predictive value when it comes to piloting.
 
sky_high said:
I was going to start a new thread but I figured I would just add on to this one. Recently I was arrested on a charge of reckless driving as a result of an accident.
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Regardless, fight it like your career depended on it. Not sure about your state, but in my state it is pretty easy to stop by and visit with a county attorney (prosecutor) during office hours. I'd be straight up with the prosecutor, telling him that you are innocent AND because of your career will have to fight it with the idea of taking it to a jury. Prosecutors don't like jury trials for traffic offenses - it makes them look bad. Catch the prosecutor outside the court room and they can be pretty cool, especially if you are candid about your situation.
 
Pilot Fighter said:
Regardless, fight it like your career depended on it. Not sure about your state, but in my state it is pretty easy to stop by and visit with a county attorney (prosecutor) during office hours. I'd be straight up with the prosecutor, telling him that you are innocent AND because of your career will have to fight it with the idea of taking it to a jury. Prosecutors don't like jury trials for traffic offenses - it makes them look bad. Catch the prosecutor outside the court room and they can be pretty cool, especially if you are candid about your situation.
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I'm letting my attorney handle it. We tried to get a pre-trial diversion program which normally consists of a fine and/or community service. After completion of the program the charges are dropped. The only kicker is that reckless driving is ineligible for this program, although if you get pulled over and have drugs on you then you are eligible. Makes zero sense to me.

Luckily we're dealing with a lesser experienced prosecution because it's only a misdemeanor.
 
Pilot Fighter said:
Given that airlines have pretty well established hiring practices that include reviews of candidates' driving records, the case of the OP certainly raises eyebrows. If you can't stop speeding IF YOUR CAREER DEPENDED ON IT, there might be a problem. I think it might be a problem that can go away with strong references.

Beyond that, I'm slow to draw too many conclusions from speeding tickets. DUI, reckless driving, running stop signs, failing to yield - those are red flags for me. Speeding? Most cases of speeding don't represent much of a safety risk.

My primary point is that I don't believe that speeding tickets, in the absence of further evidence of risk-taking or dangerous behavior, has much predictive value when it comes to piloting.
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Nor do I.
 
mojo6911 said:
Please tell me it was the early 90's MR2 and not this POS:

280px-2000-2002_Toyota_MR2_Spyder_--_11-26-2011.jpg
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I would sooner emasculate myself with a knife than with a Spyder. It was a bone stock '91 MR2T (back when they had the good "scary" suspension...the one for Men, not the Nancy one they stuck on the '93s and up to prevent idiots from killing themselves). Thing cornered like it was on rails, and didn't exactly embarrass itself in a straight line, either.

Remember how I said this particular episode was one of my "less bad" fits of youthful stupidity? A lot of the "more bad" ones happened in the same vehicle. But those are probably for "over beers". See you at NJC?

PS. Now I drive a Saab (albeit an Aero) and watch the boost gauge like a hawk to make sure I'm not putting Myself Or Others (or uhm, my Career) in Danger. Old Age is Teh Suck. Other than wishing death on jerks as hard as I can, I observe all traffic rules of which I'm aware and tortuously bend my natural motoring predispositions as close as I can to "Christian motoring".

At least until I'm on the bike. Boris on the Scumstallion is more like Boris, age 26. Except a lot easier to kill. :/
 
sky_high said:
I was going to start a new thread but I figured I would just add on to this one. Recently I was arrested on a charge of reckless driving as a result of an accident. It is very unfortunate as it happened the same week that I hit ATP mins. Now I have gone out and hired a lawyer in hopes of getting it reduced to careless driving or thrown out completely. I figure that it's pretty much a deal breaker with the airlines for now, but I've heard the regionals are getting desperate for warm bodies in the right seat and will even hire those with one or two DUIs (which I do not have).

The case is still pending and I am wondering what would happen if I went ahead and applied. Would I be able to pass a background check for the airlines with a pending case? And let's say worst case scenario I get convicted of reckless driving. Would I be completely screwed in the aviation community? I have no prior arrests and only have two speeding tickets on record, one in 2004 and the other in 2007 (went to driving school for this one).
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First of all, I'd be cautious about talking about it on a public forum until it's settled. It sucks, but like Derg says, the interwebz ain't so anonymous.

It sounds like you're doing the right thing by getting an attorney. I would still apply to airlines, and not bring up the arrest in an interview unless you are convicted. It is illegal for an interviewer to ask if you've been arrested. They can (and do) ask about convictions, however. If the conviction is coming down, and you know it, it would be prudent to let them know about that fact beforehand. Otherwise, innocent until convicted, in my opinion.

Try like hell to get it reduced, but I don't think it will be a deal breaker necessarily. Unfortunately you don't have the benefit of time-since-event in your favor. If it comes up during the interview, focus on what you've learned from it, not how you were "screwed by the man."
 
Apply. Can't hurt. Get an attorney. Consult the chicken bones for the rest, like the rest of us. In my very limited experience, the dudes who "can't catch a break" have more baggage than just their driving record.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
Those assumptions are a bunch of nonsense. One has nothing to do with the other. I pretty much ignore traffic laws, because I consider them to be nothing more than revenue generation schemes 90% of the time, and nothing remotely related to safety. But my employer pays me to operate the aircraft a certain way, so that's exactly what I do. When the government starts paying me to operate my car a certain way, maybe I'll care what speed they want me to drive. Until then, I'll do what I consider to be safe, and let my attorney sort out any problems.
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I agree with most of this and no, I am not being sarcastic. Not all people with speeding tickets are dangerous in the airplane and not all people who are dangerous in the airplane have speeding tickets. Personal experience here. It's attitude, not circumstances. I've been pulled over for speeding. Getting a ticket is a very subjective thing, which has absolutely zero to directly do with the actual infraction beyond that, in the police officer's opinion, you acted in a way that warranted being stopped.

If hiring officials would like to use speeding infractions as an interview invite filter, that's their prerogative. But let's not get all high and mighty and read into the intent of said filter. It's leading to younger hiring officials actually thinking that that's what they need to do is believe they avoided a dangerous pilot! If they think that is effective, they haven't seen what I've seen.
 
The prices are ridonculous though. I've seen second gen MR2s listed for $15-20,000. Anything "cheap" had been consumed by rust.
 
I know bad things happen to good folks and some may be desperate to make a jump to the 121 side of flying, but I'd look to go to a place like Commutair rather than GoJets if you are having trouble breaking in.

Stronger pilot group, better contract, better culture than GoJets with still a relatively quick upgrade.
 
sky_high said:
I'm letting my attorney handle it. We tried to get a pre-trial diversion program which normally consists of a fine and/or community service. After completion of the program the charges are dropped. The only kicker is that reckless driving is ineligible for this program, although if you get pulled over and have drugs on you then you are eligible. Makes zero sense to me.

Luckily we're dealing with a lesser experienced prosecution because it's only a misdemeanor.
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Lawyer up. Shut up.

(Not legal advice.)
 
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