Packrat

Then you should HEAVILY campaign for applying Age-65 to Part 135 and Part 91 flying.

How do they do it now? AS sent a query out to all its older Captains asking when they planned on retirement. Then the bond rate changed and guys realized they were going to take a HUGE hit on the lump sum payout. What happened? 60 pilots AS hadn't planned on losing pulled the plug in November and December.

Did they plan for that? No. However, this summer/fall's hiring will cover for the loss. Hasn't slowed AS down one bit, especially when they have enough pilots willing to pick up extra time and sell vacations.

That's how they do it.

Agreed. However, how do you then justify NO AGE LIMIT for Corporate/Fractional pilots? I've personally flown with a number of pilots who are about to age out who can and do fly rings around the younger guys.

Pass your FAA physical, keep flying. That'll take a small but significant chunk out of the "pilot shortage."

BoilerUP

Like was said earlier - 121 is common carriage of the general traveling public, while 91/91K is not.

FWIW, courts have recently upheld 91 flight departments having the same mandatory retirement age as 121 airlines.

Packrat

Substantiation, please. I recently flew a Part 91 ferry with a 76 year old Captain, so I think you may be wrong.

block30

What? Really?! Have I been living under a rock?

BoilerUP

Perhaps I wasn't clear.

The ruling wasn't that Part 91 pilots *had* to abide by the 121 mandatory retirement age...simply that if a Part 91 flight department used the 121 mandatory retirement age as policy it did not constitute age discrimination.

Federal Court: Mandatory Retirement Age for Pilots Is Not Age Discrimination | Age 60 | Personnel Considerations | NBAA - National Business Aviation Association

In short - there is no regulatory mandatory retirement age for Part 91 operators (in part because private carriage is not common carriage) but operators are legally entitled to set an age limit as a BFOQ.

block30

Yes absolutely. Enough with the double speak. The pilots flying the regional lift should have the full support network and resources that mainline pilots have; Training department, maintenance, leadership, mentorship, the ability to take care of oneself (compensation). The ability to make judgment calls without worrying if it will black list them at a future mainline interview.

Grumble

In the last 10 years, how many passengers have been killed on regional airplanes vice mainline? Just sayin... But yes the "one level of safety" argument, to then have a regional mgmt tell someone they're not good enought to move up... Kind of amazing.

Sort of like what's his name from XJT writing that letter saying that "we're not getting enough pilot candidates that meet our high standards" and in the same breath says the FAAs new standards are too high.

Bingo. The hour increase is not a bad thing, and certainly not the mountain guys have made out of the mole hill. The written, classroom, sim etc training however is way over the top for a vanilla entry level ATP.

bedrock

There definitely is a gap. Bottom feeder regionals run their applicants through training several times to get them through. I know some majors have done that when the govt. was pressuring them under EEOC rules, but that is not the norm. Everything done at regionals is to meet the min. stds possible. Look at Pinnacle 3701 crash, have you ver heard of something so lame-brained happening at a a major airline?

Why is that? Because those guys built up hours in forgiving airplanes long enough to scare themselves out of doing foolish things.

thefoxsays

Yes, let's raise the retirement age, again. Stagnate the industry.... And I for one sure as hell doesn't want to be in a tube until 65 or beyond. Jesus.

Packrat

Nice backpedal. Guess what? They won't.