Got news for you Laker: Pilots always could fly past 60, and they can fly past 65 now as well. This whole thing was never about that. This was a campaign by older pilots to deny others equal seat progression.
In this case, your actions happen to be attached to an age change effort. But pilots like you would have been perfectly happy taking from others in any number of ways. I'm glad this thread is still up. Serves a good reminder to us all.
Ah, Flop. Try not to be disingenuous. You know all too well that my comments were about
airline pilots flying over 60. You know - that pesky (and very bogus) rule foisted on airline pilots back in '59. It was ALWAYS a campaign to overturn a foolish and career restricting rule - first by ALPA ('60-'79), then SWA/SWAPA ('90-'07) and APAAD ('96-'07).
From '80 on the campaign was by the younger guys wanting to hold on to the restriction to preserve a method of advancement based on other pilot being "aged out", whether they were healthy or competent or not. The other half of the campaign was the charade that it was "all about safety" and that pilots over 60 were unsafe.
But you know all that.
Now it's been exposed for what it was - never about safety, all about advancement. Safety was a red herring; a way to deflect change and hang on to the status quo. If it
was about safety for some, as some will try to maintain, then those folks have to ground themselves (when they reach 60) as unsafe. They won't. But they should. If they don't, they should admit they were wrong and flying (for airline pilots, Flop) was and is safe. They won't. But they should.
The PRINCIPLE of being able to work when qualified and healthy was the driving force for SWAPA, the PPF, APAAD and SWA. The principle (?) of climbing over someone else's back for advancement is far less lofty. ;-)
I read this the other day and saved it. It's quite valid in this case, re principle,etc:
You're going to become more tolerant with time, and not only because you have more to tolerate in yourself. Because life will batter you and you'll have a surer sense of what's important and has meaning and is good.
Don't forget to ground yourself when you turn 60, Flop...lest you be a seen as a total hypocrite.