Hi cat_driver. Didn't we meet before on another thread about supercubs? Anyway, my bedside manner was always considered to be somewhat honest by some of my colleagues, and I haven't changed, so....
Now my question to you is should I be allowed to continue flying for a living with my past history of a drunk driving conviction?
No. Not that you got busted.
This all boils down to judgement.
Airline pilots are extremely well respected in our communities, and rightly so. It's not because they can fly and land a plane, that's a learned skill most people can acquire if they have the money. It's because when they sit in their seats, they take ultimate responsibilty for the safety of a load of hardware and the lives sitting within. There are few organisations out there which will turn over that sort of asset to a couple of guys and say 'get on with it'. These people have to be above reproach in the eyes of the law and the travelling public.
However many years ago I realized my problem ......
Now that shows good judgement. If you had not been busted first (which I assume came before you realised you had a problem, otherwise you would not have got caught) I would say you were OK. Actually its a good thing that pilots are not fired for admitting they have a drink/drug problem. I am all for treating people with a problem compassionately, but in this case they have to admit they have a problem in the first place. If pilots were to be too scared to ask for help because they were alcoholics and they feared for their livelihoods, then they would not seek help. Having a responsible drunk in the cockpit who is being watched and treated is the lesser of two evils, IMO.
So, if you get the conviction first, then you should be thrown out - IMO. If you show good judgement and ask for help FIRST, the airline should look after you like a son.
It's all a matter of judgement.
I also still remember those bodies you see.
And I don't for one minute think that either you or the guy who started this thread got caught the first time you endangered yourself and all the other innocents on the roads that night. Yeh, everybody claims they got caught the first time, and they are all full of it.
Should you allow a cop who gets convicted of theft to remain a cop?
There are loads of jobs a convicted drunk can do. They can even become a doctor. Getting a drunk driving conviction is not the end of the world, and never should be, but it shows there is a problem. Some people are just not suitable for all jobs. Sorry to say this so bluntly, but who said life was fair anyway?
[ 10 January 2002: Message edited by: slim_slag ]</p>