Originally Posted by Florida Flyer

Instead of arbitrarily picking an age to force retirement, I believe pilots should be able to continue practicing their chosen profession until such time that they can no longer do so safely. Whether this be through failing to meet minimum physical or proficiency stantards (i.e. fail an FAA medical or a series of training events), when one can no longer perform, that is when they should retire.

Every other profession essentially has this standard. Doctors or lawyers aren't forced into retirement at 65. Frankly, I'd prefer a 67 year old brain surgeon to operate on my head who has 40 year of experience and has performed thousands of procedures. And for all those who say skills deteriorate with age, a brain surgery is a heck of a lot more sensitive than flying a plane with an engine out down to mins. What one may lose in speed and a steady hand, one gains with experience.

And for all those who moan and groan that "well when I started flying, retirement age was 60 so it shoud be that way for everyone else for all time..." well...thats just ridiculous. If i were in public school in 1945, students were segregated by race...so should all schools be racially segregated for time immorial simply because those were the rules when I was in school? Obviously not. We as a nation have grown and recognized our collective shortcomings. The US Congress has addressed the fundamental unfairness of forcing a premature airline retirement at age 60, just as it had addressed the fundamental unfairness of racial segregation. The US Congress passed, and the President signed, the age 65 law. It is a step in the right direction, but I will not be happy until all arbitrary retirement ages are abolished. You can not compromise with what is right. Do not force competent, healthy pilots to retire at an arbitrary age, just as you would not arbitrarily force school children to segregate by race. It is time for us, as a pilot community, to move beyond our unfair biases of the past (forced retirement at an arbitrry age) and embrace a fair retirement solution (retiremet based on objective medical and proficiency standards, not arbitrary age)

Sincerely,

Florida Flyer


Author's Note: I am a third year CRJ FO who fully realizes that adoption of my pilot retirement plan would, in all probability, increase my time as an FO and my tenure at a regional airline. To me, this is a small price to pay for doing what is right. One should not assign a dollar value to doing the right thing. Even if my retirement policy results in me losing $1 million over the course of my career because I become "stuck" at my regional, it is still the right thing to do.