Originally Posted by FSDO

Let Experienced Pilots Fly

NOTAM #17

“EXPERIENCE MATTERS”

September 12, 2025

This update includes:

· Articles published by “View from the Wing” and “Yahoo Finance”

· IATA Working Paper 349 to ICAO


· US Ambassador to ICAO

**Recently, a comprehensive analysis was published by “View from the Wing”. Here is a LINK to the article for you to read. Most importantly, the author writes:

“Medicine and monitoring have gotten better. Airline Transport Pilot medicals every six months address health concerns, and Aviation Medical Examiners guidance plus neuropsych evaluations (e.g., CogScreen) allow case‑by‑case determination of fitness to fly instead of a blanket age rule. Safety checks are continuous, not one‑time.Part 121 pilots must pass recurrent proficiency checks and line checks on set intervals That infrastructure supports individualized competency decisions independent of age. And the actual risk of in-flight medical events is extremely low. FAA data show inflight medical event rates on U.S. airline pilots around 0.058–0.059 per 100,000 flight hours, with events rarely leading to accidents.”

Furthermore, the article concludes: “ALPA lobbyists claim it’s safety, but it’s not. It’s self-interest. There’s no data that suggests safety is best served by forcing pilots out of the cockpit at exactly 65 (and not 68 or 60). Older pilots fly every day in the United States and around the world. The true safety play is medical science, not age discrimination.”
**Another article, this one from Yahoo-Finance reports on the effort IATA is making at ICAO. Here is the LINK.

**IATA WP349 (for presentation at ICAO) is attached HERE. A one-page explanation of WP349 is HERE. This paper will be addressed at the 42nd ICAO Assembly held September 23- October 3, 2025. While this WP calls for raising the age to 67, LEPF continues to advocate eliminating/raising the age restriction.

**Retired Delta Captain Jeff Anderson is nominated to be the next US Ambassador to ICAO. He awaits confirmation by the Senate. We are hopeful he will be confirmed in order to attend the ICAO Assembly this month. The US should not abrogate its leadership role at ICAO to China.
Thank you for your continued engagement and support!

The burden of proof should be on the agencies that restrict the pilot license privileges at a certain age, to justify why they do so.

Experience Matters!
LEPF