Originally Posted by
Das Auto
Could someone please explain why some people just refuse to retire? I'm not trying to start a fight here, just genuinely interested as to what the reasons are. I always thought you were supposed to look forward to retirement as an opportunity to wind down, go on a cruise, spend time with the grandkids etc.
I can only assume it's the fear of boredom, or becoming a nobody at bridge club when you say "I used to fly jets" as opposed to "I fly jets?" Maybe they just want the most spectacular headstone in the graveyard?
I know there is a big argument about pay but in general I think it's fair to say that professional pilots are relatively well compensated compared to other professions.
Surely poor financial planning is not the main reason why the older guys refuse to hang up their headset?
You try to tell guys that have had decades of "I don't care what the minimums are, I flew helicopters in the Navy I can handle it" moments in flying, to willfully retire on their own accord.
To be fair, the time to retire is a blurry subject, and it is an insidious onset. The age 65 rule came from statistical data that showed the move from 60 to 65 wouldn't post a significant risk from a health standpoint. Hell I wouldn't be shocked at all to see it go to 67 someday. The percentage of pilots that lose their medicals close to retirement is higher. United says that age 63 is the average.
Are there pilots that retire at 65 sharp as a tack, with all mental faculties and cognitive function? Hell ya there are. Does that mean that person could probably fly till 67-70? Yea maybe. But also maybe not, and that pilot may not notice the decline and not self retire. I don't care what anyone says or wants to admit, the older pilots I flew with at NJA had a higher probability of health risks, and had more trouble following SOP, making safe decisions etc. Hell some of them couldn't lift bags.
NetJets didn't solely pick to try and implement age 65 because of salary costs. For anyone to think that is fairly crazy. Training costs, healthcare costs, safety concerns, safety reporting, standards reporting etc are all metrics tracked and measured, best believe when they have to defend this decision in court, these numbers will be exposed.