Helicopter pilots fly air medical transports, sightseeing tours, power line and pipeline patrols, aerial firefighting support and offshore crew transfers, and each of those jobs sits inside a different mix of federal rules. There is no single government document called a “helicopter pilot background check.” Instead, a pilot moves through several separate processes: FAA certification standards, a possible TSA security review tied to flight training, an employer’s records request under federal pilot records rules, mandatory drug and alcohol testing at many commercial operators, and whatever standard employment background check the hiring company runs on its own. This article walks through what each of those actually covers, and what it does not.
FAA Certification Does Not Include a Criminal History Check
To fly for compensation, a helicopter pilot needs a rotorcraft category, helicopter class rating under the eligibility, aeronautical knowledge, flight proficiency, and medical certificate requirements set out in 14 CFR Part 61. Those requirements cover things like minimum age, the ability to read, speak, write and understand English, passing a written knowledge test and a practical flight test, and logging a minimum number of flight hours appropriate to the certificate and rating sought. The FAA’s airman certification process, described on the agency’s airmen certification page, is built around demonstrated knowledge and skill, not an FBI fingerprint based criminal history check.
That does not mean criminal conduct is irrelevant to a pilot certificate. Separate from the certification process itself, federal law allows the FAA to deny or revoke an airman certificate for certain drug related convictions, and the agency can take enforcement action against a certificate holder for violations of the federal aviation regulations. But those are consequences tied to specific conduct or violations, not a background screen that happens automatically when someone applies for a certificate. Anyone evaluating a helicopter pilot applicant should keep that distinction in mind. Holding a current FAA certificate confirms that a pilot met the knowledge, skill and medical standards in Part 61 and Part 67, not that the person has been screened for a criminal record.
TSA Flight Training Security Rules Mostly Target Non Citizen Students
Flight training security is governed by 49 CFR Part 1552, which places two different obligations on flight training providers, including helicopter flight schools. The first is a general requirement that flight schools provide security awareness training to their employees so staff can recognize and report suspicious behavior. The second, and the one most people mean when they mention a TSA check tied to flight training, is the Alien Flight Student Program. Under that program, a flight school generally cannot begin providing flight training to an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national until TSA has conducted a security threat assessment and notified the school that training may proceed, as described on TSA’s general aviation and flight training security page.
In other words, the TSA security threat assessment tied to flight training is not a universal requirement that applies to every helicopter pilot. It is specific to applicants who are not U.S. citizens or nationals seeking flight instruction, including helicopter instruction. U.S. citizens training for a helicopter certificate go through the flight school’s recordkeeping and the instructor’s own judgment, but not this particular federal threat assessment. Readers who want more detail on how TSA handles background style checks for other aviation roles, such as unescorted access to secured airport areas, can see our explainer on airport badge background checks and the CHRC process, which is a different review tied to airport access rather than flight instruction.
Employer Records Requests: PRIA and the Pilot Records Database
Before PRIA existed, an air carrier hiring a pilot had little formal way to learn about that pilot’s history at a previous employer. The Pilot Records Improvement Act changed that by requiring certain air carriers to request and review specific records, including training, qualification, proficiency and disciplinary history, from a pilot applicant’s prior employers before hiring. That statutory requirement is codified at 49 U.S.C. 44703.
The records exchange itself has since moved from paper and fax requests to an electronic system called the Pilot Records Database, or PRD, set out in 14 CFR Part 111. Part 111 requires covered air carriers and operators, which includes many commercial helicopter operators flying under 14 CFR Part 135, to report specified records about their pilots into the database and to check the database before hiring a pilot into a position that requires those records. The records a hiring operator reviews under this system include things like FAA certificate actions, drug and alcohol testing violations, and separation or disciplinary history reported by a prior employer. It is a federal records exchange between aviation employers, not a general criminal background check.
| Process | What it actually reviews | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| FAA certification, 14 CFR Part 61 | Age, English proficiency, knowledge test, flight test, logged experience, medical certificate | Every applicant for a helicopter pilot certificate or rating |
| TSA Alien Flight Student Program, 49 CFR Part 1552 | Fingerprint based security threat assessment before flight training begins | Flight students who are not U.S. citizens or nationals |
| Pilot Records Database, 14 CFR Part 111 | FAA certificate actions, drug and alcohol violations, prior employer disciplinary and training records | Covered Part 121 and Part 135 operators hiring pilots, including many air medical, tour and utility operators |
| Drug and alcohol testing, 14 CFR Part 120 | Pre employment, random, reasonable suspicion and post accident drug and alcohol testing | Pilots and other safety sensitive employees at covered certificated operators |
| Employer FCRA background check | Criminal history, employment verification, education, and other job related screening the employer chooses to run | Set by the hiring employer, subject to FCRA notice and consent rules |
Drug and Alcohol Testing for Commercial Helicopter Operations
Many commercial helicopter operations, including air medical transport, sightseeing tours, aerial application, logging and utility patrol work flown under 14 CFR Part 135, require the operator to maintain an anti drug and alcohol misuse prevention program under 14 CFR Part 120. That program covers pre employment testing before a pilot can begin safety sensitive duties, along with random, reasonable suspicion, post accident and return to duty testing. The specimen collection and laboratory procedures behind those tests follow the Department of Transportation’s uniform rules in 49 CFR Part 40, which also sets out the medical review officer process that reviews a positive result and gives the pilot a chance to provide a legitimate medical explanation before the result is reported to the employer. None of this testing framework diagnoses a medical condition or recommends treatment. It confirms whether a safety sensitive employee has used a prohibited substance, under a process designed to be consistent across operators.
Air Medical, Tour and Utility Operators: What Tends to Be Different
Air medical, tour and utility helicopter operators generally fly under Part 135 rather than Part 121, which changes some of the specific operating and crew requirements but not the basic structure described above. These operators still participate in the Pilot Records Database when they are a covered operator under Part 111, still run drug and alcohol testing programs under Part 120 for safety sensitive roles, and still rely on Part 61 certification and Part 67 medical standards for the pilot’s underlying qualifications. What can vary more by operator is the scope of the employer’s own hiring screening on top of those federal requirements, such as motor vehicle record checks for pilots who also drive company vehicles, or additional reference checks tied to a specific type of flying, like hoist rescue work or offshore operations. Those additional checks are set by the employer, not by a uniform federal rule, so applicants should expect some variation between an air medical program, a tour operator and a utility patrol company.
What an Employer Can and Cannot Assume From a Standard Background Check
A helicopter operator that runs its own civilian background check, separate from the PRD and Part 120 testing, is generally doing so under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. That means the employer has duties that go beyond simply pulling a report. The employer generally needs to provide a standalone disclosure, obtain the applicant’s written authorization, and, before taking an adverse action based on the report, provide a pre adverse action notice along with a copy of the report and a copy of the Summary of Rights, followed by an adverse action notice if the employer proceeds. What shows up on a criminal history check also varies by state and by how far back a particular record is reportable, so an employer should not assume a check will surface a particular record just because it happened, or that the same lookback period applies everywhere. Reveal Background builds FCRA compliant screening programs that aviation employers can layer on top of the federal certification, records and testing requirements described above, rather than treating any one of those processes as a substitute for the others.
Readers hiring across an aviation maintenance team as well as flight crews may also find it useful to see how FAA certificates and airport access checks apply on the maintenance side, covered in our guide to aircraft mechanic background checks, FAA certificates and airport badges, since many of the same federal building blocks, certification standards, access screening and employer verification, show up there in a different combination.
Frequently asked questions
Does getting an FAA helicopter pilot certificate require a criminal background check?
No. FAA certification under 14 CFR Part 61 is based on age, English proficiency, a knowledge test, a practical flight test, logged experience and a medical certificate. It does not include a criminal history check, although certain convictions can later lead to denial or revocation of a certificate under separate federal authority.
Who actually needs a TSA security threat assessment to begin helicopter flight training?
Under the Alien Flight Student Program in 49 CFR Part 1552, a security threat assessment generally applies to flight students who are not U.S. citizens or nationals before a flight school can begin training them, including helicopter training. It is not a general requirement for U.S. citizen students.
What is the Pilot Records Database and does it apply to helicopter operators?
The Pilot Records Database, set out in 14 CFR Part 111, is the electronic system covered air carriers and operators use to report and review a pilot’s FAA certificate actions, drug and alcohol violations, and prior employer disciplinary history before hiring. Many commercial helicopter operators flying under Part 135, including air medical, tour and utility operators, are covered operators under this rule.
Do air medical and tour helicopter operators have to drug test their pilots?
Operators covered by 14 CFR Part 120 must maintain a drug and alcohol misuse prevention program for safety sensitive employees, including pilots, with pre employment, random, reasonable suspicion and post accident testing conducted under the procedures in 49 CFR Part 40.
Can an employer run its own criminal background check on a helicopter pilot applicant?
Yes. Separate from FAA certification, TSA flight training rules and the Pilot Records Database, a hiring employer may run its own Fair Credit Reporting Act background check covering criminal history, employment and education, subject to the disclosure, authorization and adverse action notice requirements the FCRA sets out.
Does what shows up on a helicopter pilot background check vary by state?
Yes. What a criminal history check reports, and how far back certain records remain reportable, varies by state law. Employers should not assume a particular record will appear on every check or that the same lookback rules apply nationwide.
This article is general information about federal aviation certification, security and records requirements, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for current guidance from the FAA, TSA or qualified counsel.
