Rebuttal against age 65 (for FoxHunter and Jim Smith)

[General Lee]

Who cares about ICAO? I just don't think it's anyone's business but his own if a healthy 61 year old pilot wants to keep flying at his airline.

I think a 29 year old President would be great for the country, but the Constitution doesn't allow it. I think most 14 year old kids are great at driving go-carts, but they really can't drive yet in most states. I think we should change all the rules.....

Bye Bye--General Lee

 

[OPECJet]

Well, I say if they're going to bump the age to 65, do it .5 year increments that bump every 6 years. Keep things interesting.....

 

[Nindiri]

I think a 29 year old President would be great for the country, but the Constitution doesn't allow it. I think most 14 year old kids are great at driving go-carts, but they really can't drive yet in most states. I think we should change all the rules.....

Bye Bye--General Lee

Interesting. I was not aware that the Constitution prohibited 61 year airline pilots.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

They were looking at limiting maximum pilot ages WELL before the rule was enacted. Here are some links (from a pro-change website, of all ironies):

http://www.age60rule.com/docs/1952_airport_and_nbors.pdf

http://www.age60rule.com/docs/1953_asma_aging_comm.pdf

http://www.age60rule.com/docs/1954_asma_ageing_comm.pdf

http://www.age60rule.com/docs/1959_navy_recco.pdf

http://www.age60rule.com/docs/1959_qs_med_panel.pdf

It looks like the rule was enacted for safety rather than some backdoor conspiracy that gets passed around here.

The selection of age 60 for the upper limit was arbitrary.

http://www.age60rule.com/docs/2004_ASMA_Position.pdf

 

[Andy]

The selection of age 60 for the upper limit was arbitrary.

http://www.age60rule.com/docs/2004_ASMA_Position.pdf

Some were recommending the upper age limit 50. Others 55.
Please find me a medical professional who recommended an upper age limit above 60 at the time that this rule was made.

 

[Nindiri]

Hmmm. I'm already planning to retire about age 50 or 51, so a mandatory retirement age of 55 might just be a useful thing.

 

[FoxHunter]

Well, most Fords are terrible cars. Anyway, can you explain why ICAO would recommend NOT having 2 over age 60 pilots in the same two man cockpit? Can you answer the question please?


Bye Bye--General Lee

Why do some Captains always add 5000 lbs of fuel to the Flight Plan/Release even though the weather is clear, wind is calm, light traffic period, four runways over 10,000 ft. long? Just a comfort level for some, but really not required.

In regard to the one pilot under age 60 ICAO said;

In the JAA countries, the upper age limit of 60 has been maintained for pilots in single-crew operations, but since 1 July 1999, the JAA regulations have allowed airline pilots to continue flying until age 65 with limitation to multi-crew operations and with the proviso that no other member of the flight crew is older than 59. However, the Secretariat is aware that this proviso was not based on medical grounds but rather the result of a compromise between the different parties. Although recommended by IATA, the Secretariat does not consider this proviso safety relevant for the following reason: For the individual pilot engaged in multi-crew operations, it is today generally accepted that a medical incapacitation risk of one percent per annum (“The 1% Rule”) is fully compatible with the desired flight safety level for airline operations. This risk level corresponds to one medical incapacitation per 100 years or approximately one million hours. Male pilots from Scandinavia, United Kingdom and NorthAmerica are lilely to approach this risk level when they are around 65, female pilots three to four years later. The risk of two older pilots becoming medically incapacitated at the same time, during the same one-hour flight, is thus one per trillion hours (1 trillion [FONT=Helvetica, sans-serif]— [/FONT]1012 or one million [FONT=Helvetica, sans-serif]x [/FONT]one million), a risk so low that it can safely he disregarded.

 

[doh]

Should we lower the driving age if the kids can demonstrate ability? I will tell my nephew to hit the go cart track after school everyday. He is 10 years old, but by 12 he could probably handle highway driving and parallel parking...
Would you agree to that too? You can't do one without the other. Then you would be a hypocrite.


Bye Bye--General Lee

I said "demonstrated ability"! Are you deaf, or just not listening!!? Let the kid drive if he can do it. Geez! Listen up fer chrissakes!

 

[doh]

I like lobster.

Bye Bye--General Lee

I just ate the last of my "mini season" lobsters from the keys! MMMMMMMM lobster!

 

[ils2minimums]

Male pilots from Scandinavia, United Kingdom and NorthAmerica are lilely to approach this risk level when they are around 65, female pilots three to four years later.

And THERE is the next argument that'll be put forth... All women pilots should be allowed to fly to 68-69. Crap, I'm never gonna get in that seat...:laugh: