Becoming a pilot in Mississippi takes many logged flying hours and plenty of training, and most pilots don’t want to lose such an important job. Improperly handling a DUI can threaten your future as a pilot. Fortunately, following a few steps may protect your future in this position.
Be polite to the police
As any criminal defense professional knows, being aggressive or argumentative with law enforcement isn’t a good idea. It’s not a good idea to try to escape when you find out a police officer is pulling you over. Being cooperative can mean answering questions from law enforcement. But you don’t need to overshare anything during a DUI stop and risk incriminating yourself.
Don’t try to hide it
You might think that no one will find out about your DUI if you don’t report it. Your employer may not find out about a DUI but it’s possible for a company with suspicions to look up this information. However, by law, you must report your DUI to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Attempting to hide a DUI will have a far worse outcome than being honest.
Follow reporting timelines
Another important thing to do after a DUI is to send your FAA report as soon as possible. The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) state that pilots have no more than 60 days to report a DUI to the FAA after this incident happens.
When it comes to a pilot’s future after a DUI, the FAA tends to be more lenient towards first-time offenders and those who don’t try to hide their DUIs.