Originally Posted by
paladin
Well all I have to say is I am over 60 and senior enough to not have to fly those kinds of trips. I’ve been married to the same woman for longer than I can remember who by the way still works and both kids are long gone. House is paid for; finances and retirement are not a problem. I still do it because (1) I am good at it and (2) I still love it. Until those things change I plan on working at my chosen profession for as long as I as the law allows. I am mandated to take a physical and line check every six months along with 2 days of extensive simulator training annually. For you snot nosed kids who have a problem with the more experienced pilots, get over it; it’s the law. For those with whom I work if there is a problem bid around me or call in sick.
BTW gloopy got it wrong. It was the political back room deal between C.R. Smith and Elwood R. Quesada that brought the retirement age to 60. Changing the age to 65 only helps to correct the injustice of an unwarranted intrusion by a government entity into a citizen’s right to earn a living.
A few points....
First, congrats on being an industry success story, and when you do finally put aside the wings, I wish you and your wife a long and well-deserved retirement.
Second, I think pretty much all pilots stink at judging our own ability. Not saying you aren't Ace of the Base, because you might very well be, but I don't think any of us can truly evaluate our own performance. That point was brought home to me by the Captain that crashed the Q400 in BUF that had some 5 failed checkrides.
Third, I'm a STRONG believer that the current Medical, PC, Line Check system is WOEFULLY inadequate to determine flight safety. I've flown with some weak pilots who have succeeded in getting through this daisy chain for years. I've also flown with some INCREDIBLE pilots who have flunked a checkride for some reason.
Last, and perhaps the big point. You might ease up on the "snot-nosed kid" comments. Realize that you won the freaking lottery. If you are over 60 right now, you couldn't have gotten a luckier break in this industry. To have benefitted from age 60 retirement RIGHT UP until you were getting ready to retire, and then be able to stay at $200k or so a year for another 5 years is a million dollar windfall. Don't for a SECOND forget that while you are enjoying that lucky break, there are THOUSANDS of people who are spending 5 years on the street because of it. At my airline, many of those "snot-nosed kids" are mid-40's with a family and kids going to school who were shown the door a second time because of zero retirements coming RIGHT at the beginning of a huge recession. A little tact might be in order here. I would expect them to be a little bitter, wouldn't you?