Originally Posted by TonyC

C. R. Smith

DC-8s

National Airlines signed the first jet contract in 1958 to add DC-8s to its fleet. Many airlines tried to force their pilots to retire at 60 so they could use younger pilots for the new-fangled jets. They felt that the younger guys could be trained more quickly than the old guys. Pilots at Western Airlines grieved the forced retirements, and the pilots won. Nevertheless, American Airlines CEO C. R. Smith continued to enforce mandatory retirement at 60. On December 20, 1958, the pilots (represented then by ALPA) began a strike which lasted 20 days. As part of the agreement to end the strike, Smith agreed to reinstate 3 over-60 pilots who he had forced to retire, but then he delayed their reinstatement.

The next month, Smith contacted his old war buddy, "Pete" Queseda, who just happened to be the head of the newly formed Federal Aviation Agency. Citing data from American Airlines pilots, he argued that younger pilots required less time to complete the training to transition to jet aircraft. Within a couple of weeks, the FAA had drafted a medical justification for an age limit, and within months, a proposed rulemaking was published. The final rule was published December 5, 1959 -- less than 10 months from Smith's first appeal to Queseda -- and became effective March 15, 1960.


Origins of the Age 60 Rule - by Gavin Francis


(It sounds a lot like how Fred Smith managed to bring all of FedEx Express under the umbrella of the RLA.)






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