"Senile" rides

[CRJ puppy]

I've heard that the FAA is instituting a cognative test for over 60'ers. It's going to be a memory based test that will be part of your FAA first class medical. Glad to see this coming!

I'm sorry...what were we talking about?

 

[densoo]

Key provisions of the Act include the following:
• As of 12/13/07, part 121, § 121.383(c), specifying age 60, ceases to be effective.
• A pilot age 60+ acting as pilot in command (PIC) in international operations must be paired with a pilot under age 60 (consistent with the current ICAO requirement).
• In domestic operations both pilots may be age 60+.
• It permits the continued employment of a pilot who reaches age 60 on or after 12/13/07.
• It permits the employment as a new-hire a pilot who reached age 60 before 12/13/07.
• A pilot age 60+ will not be subjected to different, greater, or more frequent medical exams.
• Any pilot age 60+ must hold a first-class medical certificate, renewable on a 6-month cycle.
• Any air carrier employing pilots age 60+ must adjust its training program to ensure such pilots’ skill and judgment continue at acceptable levels.
• Any pilot age 60+ must undergo a line check at 6-month intervals.
• For a pilot age 60+ acting as second in command (SIC), a regularly scheduled simulator evaluation may substitute for a required line check.

Over 60 pilots get more checkrides and may be slower on the uptake. Those FOs senior enough will bid away from them. Over time, the over sixty guys are flying with more and more junior pilots. Makes sense that between the age and more junior FOs they fly with, having a check airman on board may be more problematic than typical.

I can tell you at one carrier, some of these over 60 were getting line checks every 4 to 5 months. They carrier didn't want to miss the six month check due to scheduling issues, so they have an "early month" that sometimes even went a month earlier than that. The "six month" requirement was interpreted as you can't go six months without a check. It established a "drop dead" date. So if you get a check at the 5-month point, you have to get another one 6 months later or, if in the "early month," just five months later. That's two in 10 months. If you get an occasional even earlier, you could have two in 8 months, maybe three in 12 months.

Over age-60 busts could just be a matter of the increased number checkrides rather than them them doing worse than under 60 pilots. For example, if out of every 100 checkrides there is a bust, a group of over 60 pilots will reach 100 checkrides sooner than a group of under 60 pilots because they're taking checkrides at double the rate. They may be failing more, but it is because they are exposed to an eval at twice the rate.

 

[filejw]

I do it every other week to Asia. I am getting tired of the baby sitting.

It has gotten to the point of needing to fill-out an FSAP report after each leg.

Kinda funny me too except I'm talking about 45 yr old FO's and I'm not close to 60...

 

[Bringupthebird]

How many Check Airmen are over 60?

 

[dispatchguy]

Pardner, for the love of all that is holy, you need to video some of their sleeping on the flight deck and post it to youtube...

Especially when their head is laying back, mouth wide open like in a death pose, with a river of drool heading towards the floor.....

Good loud snoring is good too

 

[filejw]

Especially when their head is laying back, mouth wide open like in a death pose, with a river of drool heading towards the floor.....

Good loud snoring is good too

I could do that for lots of ages over the last 20 yrs, in-fact a real young guy was doing it on a crj I was J/s seating on the few months ago. Careful what you wish for.

 

[AA717driver]

The age 60+ guys are sleeping in the seat because they were up all night chasing wh0res and drinking whiskey. Unlike you goody-two-shoes New Age punks.



TC

 

[C-150ETOPS]

All ages will nod off and drool on the long haul overnight flights.

The problem is that even with extra sim or line checks. Most of the geezers will slide past because any sim ride is usually done at 10 am after a coffee with a fellow 60+ geezer, and on the line checks, the unusual things that cause problems for the geezers probably won't happen.

From my perspective, it is a safety problem due to a slow reduction in decison making skills and a diminishing resistance to fatigue. I'd love to see a study done on a group of 64 year olds on the 4th day of a long sequence that is delayed and results in a 14+ hour duty day into LGA at 3am in complete crap winter weather.

I've seen enough goats that should have retired before age 60.

 

[filejw]

All ages will nod off and drool on the long haul overnight flights.

The problem is that even with extra sim or line checks. Most of the geezers will slide past because any sim ride is usually done at 10 am after a coffee with a fellow 60+ geezer, and on the line checks, the unusual things that cause problems for the geezers probably won't happen.

From my perspective, it is a safety problem due to a slow reduction in decison making skills and a diminishing resistance to fatigue. I'd love to see a study done on a group of 64 year olds on the 4th day of a long sequence that is delayed and results in a 14+ hour duty day into LGA at 3am in complete crap winter weather.

I've seen enough goats that should have retired before age 60.

And I many a younger guy. I have doing line checks IOE and sims for most of my time . I just flew with 62 year old new to the 747-4 that was one of the sharpest guys I've ever flew with. Most of the guys my age that complain are just looking out for their own wallets, their complains have zero to do with older guys ability.In fact as they complain many are making the same or similar mistakes. Get used to it, at the airlines with no pension going to 65 will become the norm. As for me who knows what I'll do in 8 years but I had always planned on working past 60 and this just gives me the option as it will for lots of others.

 

[Jar Jar]

working past 60 sounds exciting. Nothing like retiring and dying a year later with tons of money in the bank. You showed them!