FoxHunter, I'm sure that your jab at Dr Jordan was in jest, but some here may read it as truth. Dr. Jordan was the Federal Air Surgeon when Bob Hoover's medical got pulled at 72. He withstood the heat of that decision and stayed on as Federal Air Surgeon. I don't know if Bob Hoover's turned a wheel since then, but I didn't see anything about him performing in airshows after that.
Whistlin' Dan, are you aware that the Federal Air Surgeon has no authority over the licensing of automobile drivers, truck drivers, boaters, and locomotive engineers? That being the case, why would he make any public statements about the licensing of operators of those types of equipment? However, he does have authority over the medical licensing of aircraft pilots and the Federal Air Surgeon's position on age 60 is crystal clear.
If anyone should be in favor of raising the age, I should be a poster child for it. I'll be turning 46 in a few months and my third child (wife's first) is due shortly thereafter. I'll be 'forced' to retire when my child is 14 years old; it sure would be nice to be able to work until the child's at least in college. Granted, I'm furloughed, but I plan on taking the maximum permissible military leave of absence (six years) once I'm recalled. I wouldn't mind making it another nine years of military service instead of six.
Yet I oppose any changes to the age 60 rule because I can see my skills deteriorating, and I've watched the skills of others deteriorate. I've seen too many pilots who wouldn't know when to call it quits. And anyone who tells me that medical testing is going to screen those people out, I'd like them to tell me how that is happening today.
Why is 65 a reasonable age when 60 is unreasonable? Why stop at 65? Why have any age limit?
This also opens that perverbial Pandora's box to all other professions. If anyone here doesn't think that there would be an avalanche of lawsuits claiming age discrimination for mandatory retirement ages across a variety of professions, they're smoking crack. I have a problem with 65 year old firefighters.
Whistlin' Dan, are you aware that the Federal Air Surgeon has no authority over the licensing of automobile drivers, truck drivers, boaters, and locomotive engineers? That being the case, why would he make any public statements about the licensing of operators of those types of equipment? However, he does have authority over the medical licensing of aircraft pilots and the Federal Air Surgeon's position on age 60 is crystal clear.
If anyone should be in favor of raising the age, I should be a poster child for it. I'll be turning 46 in a few months and my third child (wife's first) is due shortly thereafter. I'll be 'forced' to retire when my child is 14 years old; it sure would be nice to be able to work until the child's at least in college. Granted, I'm furloughed, but I plan on taking the maximum permissible military leave of absence (six years) once I'm recalled. I wouldn't mind making it another nine years of military service instead of six.
Yet I oppose any changes to the age 60 rule because I can see my skills deteriorating, and I've watched the skills of others deteriorate. I've seen too many pilots who wouldn't know when to call it quits. And anyone who tells me that medical testing is going to screen those people out, I'd like them to tell me how that is happening today.
Why is 65 a reasonable age when 60 is unreasonable? Why stop at 65? Why have any age limit?
This also opens that perverbial Pandora's box to all other professions. If anyone here doesn't think that there would be an avalanche of lawsuits claiming age discrimination for mandatory retirement ages across a variety of professions, they're smoking crack. I have a problem with 65 year old firefighters.
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