Yes, airline pilots do get drug tested.Pilots are subject to several types of testing, including pre-employment, random testing, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and return-to-duty drug testing.
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The employer is required to immediately remove the pilot from safety sensitive duties, provide a list of Substance Abuse Professionals (SAP), and report the failed test to the FAA within 2 working days. Unfortunately, the employer can also terminate the pilot's job at this time.
According to CFR Part 40.85, the standard urine samples are tested for marijuana metabolites, cocaine metabolites, amphetamines, opioids, and phencyclidine (PCP).
The details are in CFR Part 40. According to CFR Part 40.85, the standard urine samples are tested for marijuana metabolites, cocaine metabolites, amphetamines, opioids, and phencyclidine (PCP).
As with most safety-related jobs, professional pilots get drug tested for employment. Airline and charter pilots are also subject to the same Department of Transportation random drug testing programs that other industries have.
Commercial pilots will be allowed tattoos in some airlines as long as they are covered. This means if a pilot has a sleeve-type tattoo on their arm, they must wear a long sleeve shirt to cover it. Most major airlines do not allow tattoos that cannot be covered.
While the DOT drug test allows for some THC metabolites to be present to account for accidental or inadvertent use, using CBD products, whether they contain THC or not, could result in a positive DOT drug test. Every DOT test result is reviewed by a Medical Review Officer (MRO).
According to The May 2021 Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the salary for commercial pilots is $99,640 per year. The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers is $202,180.
The FAA drug test is the DOT 5 Panel Drug Test consisting of a test for OPI-Opioids (including heroin, codeine, morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, and hydromorphone), PCP-Phencyclidine, AMP-Amphetamines (MAMP-Methamphetamine, MDMA-Ecstasy), COC-Cocaine and THC-Marijuana.
Due to the risks to flight safety posed by ADHD, regulatory authorities worldwide consider ADHD a disqualifying condition for pilots. Unfortunately, pilots sometimes fail to disclose ADHD to their Aviation Medical Examiner (AME).