Originally Posted by
Boeing Aviator
If there are significant cognitive issues or performance degradation with older pilots, surely you have the data to back up your claims, correct? If this was true, there would be identifiable significant failure rates or significant training issues with older pilots conducting simulator training for 121/135/91K initial, recurrent, transition and line checks.
Where are all the FSAP, ASAP & NASA reports documenting these so called claims? How many pilots have walked off airplanes or refuse to fly with these so called older pilots with these age related issues?
Are there a small minority of pilots of ALL ages who slip through the cracks, yes. However, if what you all claim was true, there would be irrefutable data to back up your so called older pilots related performance issues.
Just look at insurance policies for your data. They've been jacking up premiums on 65+ and especially 70+ and it's affecting lots of flight departments out there in the corporate world. It even prompted Netjets and their management company EJM to institute a mandatory retirement age. Having flown with that demographic as well in my 91/135 days, it's not a matter of bad apples that slip through the cracks. They all have issues. Some are better at dealing with it than others, but I had a much easier time flying with newly upgraded 1500 hour Captains as an FO and with 500 hour FOs as a Captain.