Originally Posted by
nene
Remember Kit Darby? In late 90’s he ran a “get hired” type magazine/consulting biz that was telling military pilots to leave up till yr 18 (pension didn’t start unless you made it to 20).
By all available spreadsheets I’m sure they were right. Then suddenly 9/11 and airline recession, 3 to 2 pilot cockpits, airline BK and consolidations, age 60to 65 and voila all those advice/spreadsheets were bunk.
I know of three military pilots personally who left at year 16+, No one starved but Darbys advice was a career Trojan horse for them.
I drank that late 90's Darby kool-aid and jumped at 11 years (2000), then blind-sided by 9/11 along with everyone else, went back in uniform for a few years and been flying a civilian desk ever since. I sympathize with the Age 65 impacts, but at least that and the current hiring pendulum swing might give me one last chance to call myself a professional pilot again.