Uncle Bose

Did you know that on average, each American has one testicle and one ovary?

RedeyeAV8r

Realize Pilots are unique in this.

Generally, as a rule Pilot incomes are at the highest when their individual senority is at it's highest. As a general rule, this is when we are Widebody Capts flying Intl routes and thus we are generally older............

Night domestic freight schedules aside (which suc imho), International flying really puts a Zap on ones circadian sleep cycle disruption. Crossing 4-12 time zones a day and trying to adapt (which is next to impossible) to this takes it's toll, especailly with the increasing optimization of our schedules. The older you are the worse it gets, but generally the older we are we have to flythese schedules to maximize our income for the High 5, so as to maximize our Pensions (deferred income).

I have heard all the rumors of what retiring early will do or what retiring later might do, but I have never seen a real study with Statistics of Just Airline Pilots (let alone us Freight Dawgs) that takes all this into account.

If someone has a link to a study of Airline Pilot longevity I would love to see it............Then again maybe I wouldn't. It might tell me what I already think.

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RedEyE

vagabond

Redeye, did you see the Stanford study in another thread? A member commented that it was lame, but I found it interesting. It was not about longevity per se, but mainly about performance. I have to do some research to see if an actual study on pilot longevity is available.

dojetdriver

With the last part, I agree. It never ceased to amaze me. Whenever I tell somebody I want to fly for FedEx/UPS they always think they are smart with that classic comeback. "You know, freight pilots die sooner. I've see the study. All that night flying. Not a single FX pilot has live past 70. Don't do it."

I would love to see the actual study that everybody seems to claim to have seen. I'm sure it gets tough, especially when getting older. But what does anybody thinK a senior widebody pilot at a passenger legacy is doing in the 74/777? Day turns to FLL and back all month and for the rest of his career? Please.

SkyHigh

Most pilots today have got it made. At their wages they will never be able to retire and will live forever.

Skyhigh

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Pilots are paid for what they will do, not for what they can do.

aero550

Has anybody ever seen any studies about radiation exposure from being at high altitudes for a large portion of one's life? I seem to recall hearing/reading about it, but can't remember where.

vagabond

aero550, I have started a new thread in Pilot Health with some abstracts of studies on the effects of radiation on air crews.

RedeyeAV8r

No I didn't, but I saw the NASA sleep study done on FedEx pilots in the 80's.
They wired up some of our guys (which included Anal probes) and monitored guys for a week of our Domestic night hub turns (which are real killers).

After the company got the data, they squelched the results because it said what we have been saying for years. Many of our schedules are so onerous that our Pilots are flying very fatigued and too often don't realize it.
It took one of our Pilots sueing FedEx under the Freedom of Information Act to get the results................

The company did it's own internal safety audit about 4 years ago. They hired a professional outfit to come in and do the audit to get a non biased view.(AKA the Ender's report)
Just like the NASA sleep study, the company obviously didn't like what it said because they squelched the results of that audit too. They keep telling us there is no safety problem.

I guess if you keep repeating that enough it must be true.................
There is no safety problem....there is no safety problem...there is no safety problem

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RedEyE

FliFast

Some must thave three and four to average things out. Good thing I don't have any daughters...the dreaded , "beware of the quad-testi guy" talk would be a drag.

reCALcitrant

Of course these studies include everyone. So your father could not have been 86.

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....it's the only thing.