Urgent Action Required To Keep Age 60!

[skykid]

P.S. to DairyAir, that's exactly my point, these guys may have ruined their chances by abusing sick list.

 

[Boeingman]

I can't believe all of you out there are trying to make this a safety issue. You are pathetic! Corporate aviation has the best safety record in the country, and corporate aviation has the highest number of over 60 pilots. I am sorry but your so called safety argument has more holes than a spaghetti strainer. Baby sitting a 59 year old pilot!?! How about babysitting a middleaged whiner. Would you like some cheese and crackers with that whine. You might say oh well this guy is probably 59, wrong I am thirty one, an FO at a regional and if a guy can pass his physical and his PC let him work period. I am sure there are older pilots that you might have to babysit but there are plenty of younger ones who need to spoonfed just the same.

Very well put dairy. I hope I live long enough to hear the cries of those on furlough now when they realize an arbitrary age cap is cutting short their potential careers. I believe it will be years before these guys are recalled at some of their airlines, if at all. Instead of a much needed career extension, they are handicappng themselves in the long run considering potential earnings and tenure.

If health is such an issue, wouldn't there be more medical retirements over age 60 anyway? I say BS to that entire argument.

Finally, if the government wants to keep the age 60, they should make SS and medicare available at that age. By the time some of you younger guys reach 60, the floor for these benefits will probably be in the 70's.

P.S. Before anyone flames me, I plan on saying adios at 55, enjoying my L39 and concentrating on my business. Of course, I pray I can have someone to "babysit" me when I fly.

 

[michael707767]

[B Too bad Al Haynes didn't have your babysitting service! [/B]

Actually, Al Haynes did have a baby sitter. The much younger DC-10 instructor pilot who came up from his seat in first class, and took over flying the airplane with nothing but the throttles.

 

[Jeff G]

Here's another pilot, aged 34, who thinks the age 60 rule is a crock. The reasoning was flawed forty years ago, and it's flawed now. If age is such a problem, just change part 67 (medical requirements) so that a first class medical requires more tests after age 60, just as you have more scrutiny now after age 40 (EKG). And for those worried about your careers and retirement, there's an easy solution. Create a side letter to your contracts requiring retirement at age 60, and also obligating the company to keep your retirement benefits baseline to reflect mandatory retirement at age 60. That way noone can continue to fly the line at your company past that age, and you can actually vote on it. Don't presume to impose your career expectations on the rest of us in the industry who don't care about your personal goals and career planning. Federal law should not be used to protect your career interests; to call it a medical issue is hypocritical. Call it what it is: the Senior Pilot Benefits Reduction Act of 1959. Time to do away with this piece of political trash.

 

[CRJ200FO]

I agree that at some time in the future we should eliminate the age 60 rule. Now however, is not the right time. We have thousands of pilots out on the streets and I'm supposed to feel sympathetic to the 747 captain making 200k a year who wants to fly 5 more years to get more retirement money? Give me a break. Wait a few years when the furloughed pilots are back on the job and then increase the retirement age. There is not reason to change this rule at a time when so many pilots are on the streets. Let's stabilize the industry a little before we start shaking things up like this.

 

[CCDiscoB]

So far the vocal minority has voiced their opinions in support of changing the age or REMOVING THE AGE LIMIT ALTOGETHER.

What facts do you have to show they are the minority? It appears to me that they are the majority.

I personally would like to continue flying past age 60. It's a double edged sword for those of us not with a major. Vote yes now and we wait 3-5 more years to get hired. We'll get those years returned to us on the back side, with higher pay, assuming we are still medically qualified.

 

[Ty Webb]

I can't believe all of you out there are trying to make this a safety issue. You are pathetic! Corporate aviation has the best safety record in the country, and corporate aviation has the highest number of over 60 pilots.

Hold on there, buddy. The reason that corporate jet safety records have been so good for the last few years has been, in my opinion, in spite of the over 60 guys, not because of them.

The improvement in safety has come about because of the increase in CRM, SOP and other things that are being taught at FSI and Simuflite, which the younger pilots are often much more open to learning and using, than some of the older guys.

I have not made a decision for myself on the age 60 issue, but I do think that it is ludicrous that pilots who are forced to retire at 60 must wait to get Social Security, even though they paid in at the highest levels for many years! To me, that is the first issue the 60+ lobby shoud address!



The reason that

 

[Jeff G]

Yeah, CRJ, you're right. Let's allow discrimination to continue for a while longer to avoid shaking up a dead pilot market. Later on, let's allow discrimination to continue for a while longer to avoid shaking up a recovering pilot market. Later on, let's allow discrimination to continue for a while longer to avoid shaking up a thriving pilot market (can't tempt fate!). Then later on let's allow discrimination to continue for a while longer to avoid shaking up a faltering pilot market.

But, oh, I'm sorry, I thought age 60 was a medical issue?

Changing the status quo may hurt in the short term, but the age 60 rule is still wrong. BTW, there are plenty of older part 121 pilots who don't make your hypothetical $200k a year and are still facing mandatory retirement. Many have been furloughed or their companies have folded. They'll be lucky to have medical coverage after they are forced out. You want to throw them on the street too, just so you can apply to Delta a little sooner? They would trade jobs with you in a heartbeat if they could.

Whoops, I'm sorry, again it's just a medical issue.

 

[CCDiscoB]

Good One Jeff G!

 

[atpcliff]

Hi!

Thanks for alerting us to this process! I just sent in my comments strongly favoring the lifting of ANY age restriction on pilots. No one should be turned down for an opportunity based on age, sex, race, etc. If you have the qualifications and abilities, you should get the position. I know of a Lear pilot who is 79 and going strong!

Cliff
GRB

PS-How would you like it if you applied for a job and was turned down soley because you were male? This is discrimination, plain and simple!