As an infrequent poster on this site, but a frequent visitor to the USA from the other side of the pond, perhaps I might be allowed to mention an imminent ICAO legislative change, which seems to have received very little publicity or comment within the aviation community in the USA?
A new ICAO age provision (Amendment 167 to Annex 1) will become effective on 23 Nov 2006 and will allow ATPL holders to act as P-i-C of aircraft (engaged in international commercial air transport) up to age 65, provided that the other pilot is younger than age 60.
Thus, in three weeks time, 65 becomes the new age limit for most European P-i-C’s.
In anticipation of this change, and as a result of other recent European legislation on Age Discrimination, the UK’s major airlines, and the UK CAA, have had to alter their retirement ages and licence holding ages.
In my airline, as a result of these legislative changes, the retirement age changed, overnight, from age 55 to age 65, on 01 Oct 2006.
Even the French have had to fall into line on this one!
So what....you may say....what relevance does this have to the FAA or the USA?
Well, consider this.
ICAO have published guidelines to ICAO Contracting States, stating that whilst any State may impose a lower maximum age limit than that specified by ICAO
for their own nationals should they wish to do so, that State
may not prevent an aircraft operated by an age 60+
foreign national from operating in its airspace.
So, whilst there has been much heated debate in the USA about whether or not to raise the FAA mandated retirement age from age 60 to age 65, the impact of the ICAO decision and the USA’s treaty obligations appear to have been overlooked.
I can’t imagine those US pilots who currently have to retire (from the left seat) at age 60 will be overly happy to know that European pilots are still flying in US airspace, as P-i-C, up to age 65, so this issue would seem set to ruffle some feathers.
Perhaps this will give all sides in the US the way out they need to raise the current FAA retiring age?