maxjet

My case is probably different than most. I don't want to be on my death bed saying, gee....I wish I had stayed in flying and enjoyed doing what I loved so much. The second this job becomes a burden on me I am out. I just happen to have a great job right now. When it comes to an end I will look back and smile.

Whaledrivr

Sorry captjns, no disparing here as I've had row 1A window seat for the past 12 years.
Hopefully, the drone generation is decades away.
And millennials, I'm a bit old for those kids.

NoHaz

I'm sure the same group from 5 years ago is lobbying hard. I'm fully anticipating a "get on board, train is leaving the station" message from ALPA. Which is quickly followed by congress saying, "well the Union is for it so it must be OK"

ocskyguy

At the risk of stating the obvious, there are compelling reasons on both sides of this discussion. But, you cannot discount the few of us, such as brother Maxjet, who actually like our jobs and would like to keep the fun going as long as we can.
Some of us work our asses off to stay fit and able to fly. And, quite frankly, at 61 I will hold my cardio capacity and mental acuity against the 40 year old of your choice. I would be wholeheartedly in favor of a physical standard for a Class I that includes cognitive function testing. FYI, in the original drafts for extending 60 to 65, ALPA, IPA, APA and the IBT all came out against a "jump the bar" standard for the Class I, since the less fit of their brethren would not be able to keep up with us old bastards.
Being a career freight dog, I knew long ago that there would be no retirement provided for me. So, made my own. Could walk away anytime I want to. Just don't want to.
And, "management" has indicated that if I spend more than 14 days straight at home, I might just wake up with a cleaver in my forehead...

Avroman

Heck there are a lot of 40 year olds that would love to stop doing this if they could afford to retire.

Avroman

Nobody is suggesting to take away your CFI... give back to the younger generation. There are 135 companies that would value your experience if you need to stay in a turbine A/C. Why should I be forced to wait yet another 5 years to move to a major (not seeing my family growing up thanks to stagnation at the regionals) because you want to die going through the water cannons rather than spend time with your family?

maxjet

I would never want to work for a 135 operator. I love THIS job. Why did I have to wait for 6+ years to get my upcoming Captain spot? Well, because that is how it is. This is the industry and those are the rules.

I know it sound selfish to you, but here it goes: I don't care about you and your career. I didn't expect anyone to care about mine. I never once felt sorry for myself when I went through 7 jobs in 5 years. Yes you read that right. In 17 years of aviation, God willing, this will be the first time in my life that I ever made over 100,000 in a year on a single job. I have always had multiple sources of income and could retire today at 62 without having to sell anything.

I stay in shape because I enjoy life so much and hopefully will not spend my last years with an illness I could have prevented. Why do this flying thing? It has been a fulfillment of my childhood dreams. I have paid my dues to get here and if given the opportunity, will more than likely stay until I don't love going to work anymore.

Those of you who have not applied to K4 because of what you "have heard", are missing out. K4 is the best kept secret in aviation.

tomgoodman

Most of us who had to retire before we really wanted to made a surprising discovery: retirement is vastly better than we thought it would be.

BravoPapa

Bingo. A lot of the pilots on this forum whine about everything. They don't like their jobs; they don't like management and all our problems are because of them; they don't like the flow; they don't like their line; they don't have a flow... And they whine about this too, and make posts that sound like they're trying to impart wisdom about what you should do because you are older, but they are just as selfish as they are accusing you of being.

Great post.

maxjet

That is one of the great things about working for Kalitta. They pay me to fly to work and then buy the ticket, put me in hotels, all while keeping the points. I am off and free of junior assignments during my 14 or 15 days off in a row. When things are normal, (they are not right now due to a severe pilot shortage) you will fly about 6 or 7 days during your 16 day rotation. The rest of the time you stay in great cities and very nice hotels. So, it is a retirement gig. I do agree with your statement though. I have lots of friends in all different industries who have the same sentiment as you. Enjoy the retirement. I will be joining you in a few years when they kick me out of here.