How about oldest new hire?

[BEXFlyer]

Great post on the "young guns". how about the opposite? What was the oldest new hire for a major you've heard about? I think this will take the cake........back in '98/99, when I was with Biz Ex, we had a 58-year FO who was hired on with US Airways. I think he was part of some class-action lawsuit and they were forced to hire him. Great guy....I think he said he would get 10-15K per year after he retired, but he really wanted the medical benefits.
I'm sure there are many newbies in their 50's.

 

[Flying Freddie]

I think I remember this guy. He was from Nevada and talked a lot. I always thought he could talk a starving dog off a meat wagon!

 

[pilotyip]

We have a plus 50

Our last class had a 50+ retired USCM guy in it. We have hired alot of pilots in thier 50's over the past 6 years. One guy was 56, thought we had him for a least 4 years, he went to Spirit.

 

[skirt]

The real winner goes to a 62 year-old new hire at United. Yep, this is 100% for real, as I know him personally.

He was a Branniff guy, who was hired first as a ground school instructor for United on the 727 in the late 80's. He was in his late 50's at the time. He was my ground school instructor for the panel. Great guy and funny as can be. I still remember his "flow" gouge...."banana, three B, Z, dot the i" Anyone who has worked the panel can probably figure out this flow (hint the essential power switch on the United 727 panel was yellow). Trivia winner is anyone who can tell me what this flow is.

All sim-instructors were line pilots, so he did not teach in the sim. Several years later, I saw him in operations in a pilot uniform! He was 62, and decided to apply as an internal hire. The guy had over 20,000 hours, so was clearly qualified...and United still had three seat airplanes, so what were they going to do? He interviewed as a "pilot" and got hired.

He was the first and only "professional engineer" at United. He flew the panel on the 727 and DC-10, and retired after 10 years of combined service (instructor and engineer).

Skirt

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

I knew a lady who was 57 and a new hire at Trans States. She was excited about it.

Cliff
DTW