What’s the FAA’s “Bottle To Throttle” rule? It’s the number of hours before a flight that a pilot must stop drinking alcohol. And it’s a rule that many pilots have heard of, but wish they knew the specifics before they were pulled from the cockpit just prior to departure. Specifically, the Federal Aviation Administration rulebook […]
Pilot DUI and the FAA Process
Report a DUI to the FAA A Pilot DUI and the FAA Process is a topic with many questions for pilots of all levels. There are two important DUI reporting requirements for pilots. The first requirement is found at FAR 61.15, which requires a pilot to report a “motor vehicle action” by submitting a Notification […]
How would the FAA find out about my DUI?
“How would the FAA find out about my DUI?” This is a common aviation law question we receive regularly from student pilots filling out the medical application for the first time, to veteran pilots who have held licenses and certificates for years. Each time a pilot files a medical application, the pilot authorizes the FAA […]
Other than drug or alcohol related convictions, what other crimes or convictions would I have to report as a pilot to the FAA?
Question 18W asks you to report convictions for non-traffic misdemeanors and felonies, those are convictions though, not arrests. Typically, what the FAA is looking for is a personality disorder that manifests itself by sober acts. The Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) will query the pilot and ask what the nature of the conviction was. Typically, they’ll […]
Does your law firm handle the DUI criminal defense aspect of a pilot’s case?
We do not handle the DUI defense or the criminal aspect. We do, however, work closely with the DUI attorney to get the best results we can for the pilot in order to minimize the reporting requirements. Very often, we’re successful in mitigating the pilot’s 61.15 reporting requirement. Learn more about the DUI reporting requirements […]