Originally Posted by swaayze
I suspect not many really want to keep flying, but thanks to the last few years of stock market doldrums and pension cancellations I think you'll be surprised how many keep at it.
Statistically, your ability to hold a class I medical starts to drop off steeply at age 55. Many folks won't even have the choice, ESPECIALLY if the FAA institutes higher certification standards. BTW, be prepared for those higher standards to be applied to pilots under the age of 60 too.
Actually, my real reservation about increasing the retirement age is that management will want to "normalize" pilot compensation to an assumed age 65 retirement. That means reducing your hourly pay on the assumption that you will make it up by working longer. This is going to really screw that large percentage of pilots who cannot meet the medical standards or are just too worn out too keep at it all the way to 65.