Panel Splits on Raising Airline Pilot Retirement Age
#21
I don't want the 75 year old, period.
The problem is not sudden incapacitation, which is what the Medical Certificate system is designed to protected against, it is cognitive decline.
We can not even reliably diagnose early Alzheimer's, let alone determine that someone is getting through a PC based on 40 years of practice but will be clueless on a real world crappy non-precision approach.
Some careers lend themselves to old age, lawyers for example. Others do not, such as professional racing, law enforcement and ATC. We fall in the later group. And until there is a way to evaluate cognitive decline at what are for the general population low levels, we have little choice but to draw a hard line.
And yes, Parts 91 and 125 have older pilots. They also have stories about pilots who should have retired but didn't.
The problem is not sudden incapacitation, which is what the Medical Certificate system is designed to protected against, it is cognitive decline.
We can not even reliably diagnose early Alzheimer's, let alone determine that someone is getting through a PC based on 40 years of practice but will be clueless on a real world crappy non-precision approach.
Some careers lend themselves to old age, lawyers for example. Others do not, such as professional racing, law enforcement and ATC. We fall in the later group. And until there is a way to evaluate cognitive decline at what are for the general population low levels, we have little choice but to draw a hard line.
And yes, Parts 91 and 125 have older pilots. They also have stories about pilots who should have retired but didn't.
#23
I don't think it's unreasonable to think we will see the 67 age in the next 5-10 years. The pilot shortage will brighten up the decision room in time. I'm not saying I'm for or against it, but supply and demand will play in again.
My 2 cents.
My 2 cents.
#24
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2008
Position: Retired
Posts: 651
We decline as we age, it is a simple ugly truth. Some more than others, but anyone in their 50s who is planning their retirement needs to consider that at some point they are likely to have to stop driving, likely to become more vulnerable to scams (buy gold coins!), likely to need help keeping their life in order. And that is just normal aging -- Dementia is an altogether different ball game.
I have a family member who is a physician. He recently commented that medicine's understanding of the brain is 100 years behind that of the rest of the body. It was a casual comment, but the underlying point is that we really do not have a good grasp of how the brain works, and anyone putting faith in current medicine to reliably identify early deterioration is being wildly optimistic.
#26
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,906
If you have empirical evidence that this is a real danger, (maybe it is maybe it isn't), then I think it would be appropriate for all pilots to have to take a cog test as a baseline when 50 and every 5 years after until 65. Then test every two years to continue to fly. I wonder how many 55 year old pilots would find themselves with a problem......
#27
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: B-737NG preferably in first class with a glass of champagne and caviar
Posts: 5,906
You should know there are countries that have not subscribed to the ICAO retirement age 65.
#28
Really????? I have prepared my finances so that if I lost my medical I could retire today. I work for K4 because I love what I do. If you don't love your job in aviation then, for your health, get out and do something else. The argument of "you are in my seat" no longer applies at K4. The same can be said for many other airlines today. We are starving for qualified pilots and I expect to see our upgrade time go to under 2 years soon. When I reach 65, if the limit is higher and I still love going to work I will probably stay.
#29
If the age is raised again, it should not result in furloughs or delayed career expectations. Sure, before either happens, there will be some room to play with due to demand. However, ultimately, the only way this can be guaranteed is to decide now and delay age 67's implementation by 44 years. (or if the age is 70, by 47 years, et al.). The math is based on those getting their 117/121 careers started at 23 and those after them will be the only ones that will benefit.
Sure, hiring phases and the economy will have cycled a few times and in that time, or hell, we might even go to single or no pilot ops, but so what. Of course this will not be popular with those nearing retirement (most of us know we what we got into and we already got a 5 year extension) or with the airlines (raise the damn pay and bennies).
Sure, hiring phases and the economy will have cycled a few times and in that time, or hell, we might even go to single or no pilot ops, but so what. Of course this will not be popular with those nearing retirement (most of us know we what we got into and we already got a 5 year extension) or with the airlines (raise the damn pay and bennies).
#30
Line Holder
Joined APC: Jul 2014
Posts: 79
Really????? I have prepared my finances so that if I lost my medical I could retire today. I work for K4 because I love what I do. If you don't love your job in aviation then, for your health, get out and do something else. The argument of "you are in my seat" no longer applies at K4. The same can be said for many other airlines today. We are starving for qualified pilots and I expect to see our upgrade time go to under 2 years soon. When I reach 65, if the limit is higher and I still love going to work I will probably stay.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post