A felony conviction does not automatically prevent someone from obtaining an FAA pilot certificate. The FAA expressly says a person with a felony can qualify, while identifying drug- and alcohol-related offenses as issues that can affect eligibility. A commercial pilot certificate, an airline transport pilot certificate, medical qualification, security access, and an airline hiring decision are separate approvals. Passing one does not promise the others. [1]
Rules that determine the answer
The controlling details are in the regulations. Under 14 CFR 61.15, specified drug-related convictions and drug or alcohol conduct can provide grounds for certificate denial, suspension, or revocation. The rule includes periods of up to one year for specified denial grounds; it should not be rewritten as a permanent ban on all people with felonies. Existing Part 61 certificate holders also have a separate sixty-day reporting requirement for covered drug- or alcohol-related motor vehicle actions. [2]
The airline transport pilot rule expressly requires good moral character, unlike treating that phrase as a blanket statutory ban covering every commercial-certificate applicant. [3] Accuracy matters throughout the process: a court’s expungement label does not answer every FAA form’s disclosure question. Read the question and its instructions rather than assuming the record can be omitted. The FAA’s certificate answer also does not determine whether another country will admit a pilot for international assignments.
What to do next
- Identify the exact certificate and intended work: paid flying under a commercial certificate is not identical to airline employment requiring additional qualifications.
- Collect final court dispositions, sentencing and release records, and any drug, alcohol, or driver-license administrative actions.
- Before committing to expensive training, discuss medical eligibility and required disclosures with an aviation medical examiner and obtain specialized advice if the history raises certification questions.
- Evaluate the employer’s screening and any applicable airport-access or flight-training security requirements separately. Read the review rights and deadline if a particular approval is denied.
Practical example
A person with an old non-drug felony wants to train for a commercial certificate. The conviction is not automatically a universal FAA prohibition. But an employer may assess the history, and an airline career can require an airline transport certificate with additional eligibility requirements. A recent DUI-related license suspension also creates a different reporting and medical issue from the older felony.
For related situations, see TWIC eligibility after a felony and passenger flights after a felony.
Primary sources
- FAA: felony convictions and eligibility for FAA certificates
- 14 CFR 61.15: drug and alcohol matters and motor-vehicle-action reporting
- 14 CFR 61.153: airline transport pilot eligibility
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.