APA Pilots polled. No to age 60.

[Tejas-Jet]

Tejas: The result of the CAL heart attacks proved the system works...THE CURRENT SYSTEM! It also illustrates that it is perhaps strained.--->Maybe flying was just too much for those individuals. What kind of airplanes were they flying when this happened? If a pilot is feeling "strained" maybe he/she should quit/retire. I don't feel "strained" at all. I really have fun when I'm out flying...maybe thats the secret....enjoy what you do...or find something else.Hard for you to grasp because you're looking no further than your own interests.--->....and the interests of like-minded pilots.

Why don't YOU wright a "honest" letter to somebody?---->I already have. My 2 Senators and my Congressman are already firmly in favor of this age change. No need for anymore letters. Tell the them you have NOT lost a pension, have NOT been furloughed, --->They really don't care about that...we both know all they are going to do is contact the FAA if they need some additional information on this age issue..and although tens of thousands of pilots have retired before you, and tens of thousands will retire after you...YOU are more uniqely deservant than anybody else of a windfall! Tell them your so f-ing special they ought to feel lucky they represent you!--->Duuuude, relax....we aren't going to settle this on FI.com It's an FAA thing...it's an ICAO thing. The horse was let out of the barn when the ICAO and the US went along with letting this happen. You can't turn back the clock. The NPRM is coming soon....Then the rule will change....I just hope you are in a left seat by then ( see, I do care about you.)[/quote

 

[Freight Dog]

Tejas and fogey... you say it's safe. At your own airline, 3 separate incidents this year of pilots having heart attacks. Luckily they were in cruise flight. Imagine it being captain's leg on a visual approach and he croaks on short final and slumps over the controls.

Unfortunately, it'll take one of those and metal getting bent for the FAA to wake up and see that this is indeed about safety first and foremost.

 

[Tejas-Jet]

Tejas and fogey... you say it's safe. At your own airline, 3 separate incidents this year of pilots having heart attacks.--->Didn't happen at "my house." It was somebody else. Luckily they were in cruise flight. Imagine it being captain's leg on a visual approach and he croaks on short final and slumps over the controls.

Unfortunately, it'll take one of those and metal getting bent for the FAA to wake up and see that this is indeed about safety first and foremost.--->Well...theres lots of guys over age 60 doing all kinds of flying....crop dusting...CFI's ...corporate....test flying....There should be a wealth of data on this sort of thing. Methinks that theres not an epidemic on this[/quote]

Tejas

 

[Tejas-Jet]

If you want to give money to the APA's PAC it is acalled CAPA-PAC. They are in with IPA, SWAPA, NPA and IBT...

I say more donations from ALPA guys to the APA's PAC...it would really be appreciated by all of us here at SWA.

Or was all that talk about donating to APA's PAC a few days ago nothing but FI bluster?

Tejas

 

[luckytohaveajob]

Tejas, glad your not going to be a captain for an additional five years. You must be afraid to upgrade.

With SWA promoting a fly till you die law and CAL promoting a new EU/US cabotage treaty the profession is disappearing everyday.

 

[Tejas-Jet]

Tejas, glad your not going to be a captain for an additional five years. You must be afraid to upgrade.

With SWA promoting a fly till you die law and CAL promoting a new EU/US cabotage treaty the profession is disappearing everyday.

Well then...I would guess it's time for you to leave if it's getting that bad.

And...it's only fly till you die if you die before age 65....if you don't ...then it's not.

 

[Deuce130]

Call me cynical, but the age 60 rule is all about dollars and has nothing to do with safety. If the big money donors (ie, corporate types from the airlines) want the rule changed to age 65, then it will happen. I have no doubt that FDX, UPS, SWA, DL, UA, AA et al have looked at the bottom line and determined what would cost them the least and then went with it. Hired a few lobbyists, made a few political donations to the right politicos, done deal. Looks like raising the age to 65 is cheaper for them in the long run. As far as ALPA, the silence is easily explained - dues. 64 year old MD-11 Captain with 20 years on property at 1.9% dues a year or 34 year old F/O with 3 years on property at 1.9%? They'll get five more years of dues from the guys who've maxed out the pay scale. ALPA will side with the money, not the membership on this one.

 

[luckytohaveajob]

As far as ALPA, the silence is easily explained - dues. 64 year old MD-11 Captain with 20 years on property at 1.9% dues a year or 34 year old F/O with 3 years on property at 1.9%? They'll get five more years of dues from the guys who've maxed out the pay scale. ALPA will side with the money, not the membership on this one.

So America is for sale? And ALPA values the difference between the senior captain and the junior fo.

I would tend to agree with your assessment, however I hope its not the case. Because if it is ALPA is worthless and completely fails to stand up for the entire reason of its existence. ALPA is not about its bank accounts, ALPA is about pilots careers.

And after the last five years, its does appear ALPA is more concerned with itself than those it represents.

 

[luckytohaveajob]

Well then...I would guess it's time for you to leave if it's getting that bad.

And...it's only fly till you die if you die before age 65....if you don't ...then it's not.

Tejas, I curious. How did you transition from a C195 to a B737? With 14,000 hours listed you have way to much time to be from the military.

If you are from the commuters or night frieght you must realize what life is like outside the little SWA bubble you live in today. And if you were from the type of flying 95% of us do you must know how bad life can be. Yet your current world view is that everyone has it just like SWA and therefore flying till 65 is desirable. So you are either very ignorant, stubborn, or selfish.

I would guess selfish with a complete disregard for anyone besides yourself. You tell your MESA buddies they have to work another five years because you want another five years.

If I did not get any of the above right I did nail your selfishness.

 

[airfogey]

ALPA's going to get their 1.96% from the same amount of people regardless of any age change. Personally I would not mind if every retiree between 60-65 that wanted to come back did. ALPA had 12000 members in 1978 and over 60000 today--most growth has come from expansion and more people flying. The industry has always been feast or famine--look at the history. Carriers hired off the street and taught people to fly in the mid 60's, there was virtually no growth and stagnation from 70-77. Many of the "legacy" carriers got unsustainable contracts during the late 90's, unfortuantely many of the pilots laid off from these carriers after 9-11 shouldn't have been there in the first place if theyhad had productive contracts prior to 9-11. Fortunately or unfortunately the SWA model is the future of aviation--I just wish that my carrier(not CAL by the way) would leave ALPA and get a union that represents our interests.

Airfogey

ps I'm quite a few years from 60 myself btw