Some thoughts from an old guy: I think this age 70 thread was started by the same false rumor mill as the DALPA is giving up 100 seat flying for a 30% raise(pick the number), neither one is going to happen. It does however make reading some of these threads more interesting.ICAO passed the age 65 and it was then only a matter of time before it would happen in our country. If I was 40 or so I would be against age 65 and do not take some of the comments on here personally, actually some are quite entertaining because they are so ignorant that it defies logic. If any of you younger guys would like to pitch in and restore my pension to what it was pre-bankruptcy I would be the proverbial dot tomorrow.The age 65 rule helped me tremendously but it came at a cost to others, I get it. I still hope to retire "early" and have a set $ amount that when I reach it I'm gone, Too much golf,fishing,hiking,skiing to do to hang around here.
I commute hub to hub and most always on the j/s, I also fly on an a/c with lots of 60p pilots. Having had this opportunity to observe I can no more tell the difference between a 40/50 year old and a 60p than I can tell the difference between a military or civilian background(operational wise).Some of the 60p guys look lots younger and some look like my grand dad. I know personally my reflexes aren't what they used to be, I play lots or softball and my mind gets to lots of balls that my glove doesn't get near. I would not want to put NVG"s on and go downtown then return to the ship for a night landing,been there done that and concede to the young guys.However, operating a modern jetliner is a whole different ball game, more about managing than actual flying skills. Nuff said.
I think it will take at least 15 to 20 years for ICAO to get the medical data to support any increase in the age limit and who knows what the data will show. Let's get such a huge contract improvement in 2012 that we all can go when we choose and not have it be a financial issue and not one more outsourced seat. Peace