Age 70 coming to an airline near you!

[Yuppyguppy]

won't happen anytime soon

 

[waveflyer]

We shouldn't be apathetic like last time though.
And IMO we ought to create a movement to limit ALL captain slots to < 60 year olds.

 

[NotTooBad]

Notice all of the "70 is OK with me" responses coming from the 10000+ hr crew. The baby boomers are the most greedy, self-important, soon-to-be drags on society group to ever exist. They have been handed the strongest economic growth in the history of the world, and most have p!ssed it all away. Now my three young children, who will struggle to ever find gainful employment, will have to pay for all of their greed and waste. Congratulations to you, you have made us all "very proud".

box

I laughed

 

[AKAAB]

Maybe everyone is missing the one advantage this could bring to everyone - Loss of License insurance payouts go to your mandatory retirement age. Think about it...five more years of a decent paycheck when you can't pass the physical at 65.

Sure, a small number of geezers will hold on, but in the end it the cost will be exorbitant.

Just trying to find a good angle on a bad idea...

 

[KigAir]

70 + Single Pilot Flights = Living on the edge.

 

[inline]

Long overdue.

 

[inline]

and there is no under age 60 displaying this same walking around confused? If we really want to do this retirement age correctly in the name of safety, we take the age of pilot that experiences an in-flight incapacitation, say a heart attack at age 47, and that becomes the new retirement age. BTW Never mind that this 47 year old pilot, smoked, weighted 300 pounds, 38% body fat, Type two diabetic, and had a sleep disorder. Remember this is about age and has nothing to do with an individual's condition.

Right on the money.

 

[P38JLightning]

Right on what money? We're talking about trends and actuarials here. Sure, some people short circut in their 50's. Some remain razor sharp into their 90's. An age cutoff is not meant to be the one and only catch-all. There is no way to test everyone for everything every single day. Spare us the civil rights nonsense too. There are plenty of completely justified age cutoffs all through out society, both min and max. We only did 65 because the EU crowd did. They aren't changing to 70 and neither are we, nor should we. All those forced out at 65 got to enjoy 5 years in the bonus round they didn't earn after benefiting from age 60 for 100% of their careers. That is enough of a windfall, it will not be extended again.

 

[pilotyip]

Right on what money? We're talking about trends and actuarials here. Sure, some people short circut in their 50's. Some remain razor sharp into their 90's. An age cutoff is not meant to be the one and only catch-all. There is no way to test everyone for everything every single day. Spare us the civil rights nonsense too. There are plenty of completely justified age cutoffs all through out society, both min and max. We only did 65 because the EU crowd did. They aren't changing to 70 and neither are we, nor should we. All those forced out at 65 got to enjoy 5 years in the bonus round they didn't earn after benefiting from age 60 for 100% of their careers. That is enough of a windfall, it will not be extended again.

We could develop mental, physical, and cognitive testing. We could set certain standards, like + 100' while handing flying, + 10 Kts during an approach, etc. Then we would test the pilots on a regular basis to see they still have the skills. Now increase this testing we would not only make the Captains take this test, but we would observe them on a regular trip to see how they integrate all of the functions of running a trip. If pilot doesn't pass these, regardless of age he is all done flying. This would eliminate all this age talk.

 

[rettofly]

What is it with these a##holes! All of a sudden, everyone wants to work till they drop dead. Whatever happened to enjoying your golden years like everyone else does. Give it a break already, shoot. If you want to fly so damn bad, get by a friggin rc airplane and fly that.

Maybe they feel like they need to work till they drop dead in an Obama world.

 

[Flopgut]

We could develop mental, physical, and cognitive testing. We could set certain standards, like + 100' while handing flying, + 10 Kts during an approach, etc. Then we would test the pilots on a regular basis to see they still have the skills. Now increase this testing we would not only make the Captains take this test, but we would observe them on a regular trip to see how they integrate all of the functions of running a trip. If pilot doesn't pass these, regardless of age he is all done flying. This would eliminate all this age talk.

Do you realize if your posts on FI were at all a test of your cognitive abilities you would be failing.....

Do all that stuff you write, and it's still not safer than 60 was. 40 year rule that functioned flawlessly.... Abandoned for the financial needs of a very few.... Sad. Not what we're supposed to be doing in this business.

 

[pilotyip]

Do you realize if your posts on FI were at all a test of your cognitive abilities you would be failing.....

You are taking this way too seriously, it was a sarcastic post to address testing for pilots ability to be in a cockpit. In the end every decision is made in the best economic interest of the individual, Adam figured that our 230 years ago. BTW Should I have put a smiley face at the end to ensure the true meaning was understood?

 

[Flopgut]

Yes, a smiley would have helped......

You have to admit, that post rambled a bit.

 

[waveflyer]

And it isn't far off the mark- corporate and cargo can afford to let pilots fly til they're old- their crashes and incidents may be just as important to you and me- but the public scrutinizes airline crashes 10000 times more. Just ask how long our UPS fallen brothers would be in the news if that were a -400 full of people...

Age 65 at some point will bring increased scrutiny to medical standards- it's just a matter of statistics catching up

 

[Midnight Flyer]

70 y/o airline pilots is rediculous. Hang up your hat, bow out gracefully and let the younger guys have their heyday. I can see it now, crusty old pilots hobbling down the jetway pushing their walkers.
I'm sure the guys flying with these old farts love being subjected to extra line checks all the time.
I'm outta here at 60.

 

[Mamma]

We could develop mental, physical, and cognitive testing. We could set certain standards, like + 100' while handing flying, + 10 Kts during an approach, etc. Then we would test the pilots on a regular basis to see they still have the skills. Now increase this testing we would not only make the Captains take this test, but we would observe them on a regular trip to see how they integrate all of the functions of running a trip. If pilot doesn't pass these, regardless of age he is all done flying. This would eliminate all this age talk.

As long as you do the test at 2am after the pilot has worked for 12 hours four days in a row.

 

[vetrider]

I think this has a good chance of being pushed through. The crybaby lobby will get all kinds of support, and when Sully signs off on it, game over.

 

[whymeworry?]

Every non-pilot I know in their late 50s can't wait until 60-62 when they will retire. Every retired person I know is 60+. Nobody I know works until 70. What's the point?

I do know one guy who is over 65, a VP of Safety, and still working. His attitude sucks. He needs to quit but his ego won't let him. Makes it miserable for his coworkers. He thinks he is respected but he isn't. He's more less out to lunch. But he has no life so he continues to work... all the while reminding everyone how he has plenty of money and doesn't need the job.

What is it with pilots and retirement these days? Why work till 70? Retirement is just that. Something you reward yourself with after 40+ yrs of working.

I have so many hobbies that sometimes I forget I'm an airline pilot when not at work. This ain't the career it use to be and it certainly isn't worth hanging on past 65. For me, I can't wait till 60; will try to get out sooner if I can.

Get a life, guys. Really. Ya' can't take it all with you when you die. And no matter what, you will die sooner than later. So enjoy life while you can.

I guess some people just can't figure out how to enjoy life.

 

[Lynxman]

^^^ Good post

 

[waveflyer]

^^^that