Poll: Do You Think The Airline Pilot Retirement Age Should Be Raised To 67 From 65?

We are all different when we reach that age, some are fit and healthy, others are not so lucky. I was very lucky to have retired from commercial flying at 75 years of age, and the only thing that stopped me was bad knees and a worn out hip stopping me from climbing the ladder to the cockpit. Otherwise I would have had maybe a few more years airborne.

Years ago, attending an Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) meeting, I sat in on a panel concerning aging pilots. The chief Flight Surgeon from, I believe it was Norway — so European rules, gave a brief on “old people”. A seventy year old can have 20/20 vision, but he’ll need this many more lumens to see. They can have this, but they’ll need that — for ten minutes. At the end, his last slide was a simple curve with age increasing along the bottom and Everything Else on the Y axis. He pointed to a spot on the curve and said, “if you can provide a test with 100% accuracy, I’ll let you fly this long. Until then, it will be decided by legislation; not science.”

Two more years at the BEST “Part Time” job I ever had……….Yes please !

I just opted for “other” in the poll because I feel this issue should not be based on an age number at all, but on performance and health. Using a “real” check ride, there could be (and are) pilots way younger than 65 that should not be in a cockpit. If you can pass a physical and a real check ride (simulator of course), what does the age number have to do with it? The “one size only fits all” idea is a typical government solution.