Poll: Do You Think the Airline Pilot Retirement Age Should be Raised to 67 from 65?
4 COMMENTS
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.”
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.
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.