I know we all remember the preaching rants of Kit Darby and his claim to the "massive retirements" just around the bend (hogwash). I would like some REAL factual numbers of the pilots age 60+ and what percentage they make of pilots at their respective airline's. I don't see the onslaught of retirement coming at the rate Kit or any other aviation analyst has ever predicted. Most were sales pitches formed by some marketing team for crash course flight schools. The age variance to the naked eye is still well spread (just look in the terminals most look 45-55) and a more steady pace of retirement over the next 20 years seems more practical. Mostly to discard the hopes that even a poor economy will necessitate pilot hiring in the magical 3 years due to rapid attrition. There is no hope in sight for the bottom 1/3rd of the industry for the foreseeable future and I think the evidence is rather clear.
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