Maybe a stupid question, but I was talking with another pilot who said that half of all pilots who routinely fly on the backside of the clock do not make it to retirement--any truth to this?

 

Up until last December retirement age was 60. Your asking if 50% of pilots flying international routes (backside of the clock) die before reaching age 60?

Just because it's not on Snopes.com doesn't mean you can't apply some reasoning skills to the question.

 

Half of all statistics are made up.

Who knows the real answer to this one. Not unlike any other profession, if you eat right, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle you shouldn't have any problem living well into your retirement years.

There is no doubt that night flying is tougher on your body than working during normal daylight hours. Some can handle it very well, others mediocre, and still others cannot do it - everyone is a little different.

I think the time of day and type of flying (domestic vs international) are just factors of a much bigger equation. The big question that should be asked is if the person in question is maintaining a healthy lifestyle overall. The next big question that should be asked is one regarding the stress levels of one's given occupation. i.e., flying nights vs one who works 60+ hours a week in the office.

 

A lot of it depends on one's genetic makeup, too. Many people would like to live to a ripe old age, bouncing great grandkids on both arthritic knees and once in a while entertaining the family at Thanksgiving by taking your dentures out and sucking your cheeks in. However, some people just aren't meant to live that long.

I read an article a long time ago that retirement is a stressor all by itself. With all the stresses in life today, you certainly don't need another big one just when you thought you should be riding into the sunset.

 

OK, I should have clarified - I was not talking about death, just not being able to maintain your medical. I also completely agree regarding statistics, statistics show I should have been dead long time ago!

 

I'm certain it doesn't help, but there are so many variables. I've done all kinds of bizzare schedules at airlines and in the military...some were tolerable, others not so much.

How many days per month?

Is it a consistent rythm, or all over the map?

Do you fly locals, where you return home each morning? That's bad because there's too much going on at home during the day...hard to sleep. I did this for a while, and actually observed myself aging faster.

The biggest factor would be your lifestyle...if you can live your entire life on the back side you should suffer no ill-effects (maybe a lack of vitamin D). But most pilots are into relationships and families, so that's kind of hard to pull off.

 

Statistics are like bikinis. They can be very revealing, but what they cover up is vital!

 

I've heard several people from FedEx or UPS talk about how during their new-hire class, they are told that a very high percentage of their pilots will medical out before retirement. I don't remember the exact number, but I seem to remember it being somewhere between 25 and 33 percent.

 

That was never said to us in my new-hire class years ago. Not saying it isn't true, but this is the first I have heard of that being said.

 

That was helpful.

How about giving us some numbers? How many people medical out every year?