I wonder how R Kelly feels about that song nowadays?

I just trained a guy going through initial for a corporate job that did 1 year at a regional then had to leave because he hit 65. He just wanted to say he did the airline thing. Was a late career changer.

I think that there are a few older people (mid 50s and up) in almost every class that are career changers and/or want to say I was a airline pilot before the door closes permanently. Up until about five years ago there were very few pilots in their 20s coming online but now lots of all age groups are jumping onboard since they can pay their bills on regional pay just to test the waters.

I would venture a guess that less than 50% of people making it through 121 initial will still be flying 121 in 5 years due to various reasons (age, medical, being fired, or just hating the 121 game). It feels like I run into a few pilots everyday that flew a few years at the regionals then got out for various reasons. It will be interesting to see the changes that will happen in the airline industry by 2030.

Skywest won't upgrade or transition you between planes if you've got less than 18 months before mandatory retirement. More than 1 Brasilia pilot had to retire early when that plane went away.
Don't know about anything in the PPM about new hires and age, and it could be an age discrimination lawsuit if someone wasn't hired at 63 yrs 7 months, but I'm not sure commuting a year as a jr reserve at 64 would be worth it.

I thought they got paid to sit home until age 65, vice "retired" which is only a plaque and travel benefits?

The unprecedented opportunities at the legacies will keep them coming for a while longer. But after the retirement wave, there may not be as many kids willing to pay dues for 20 years to have a great gig later in life.

My newhire class had a 63.5 year old. Did not make it. He tried his butt off, always the first in last out of the study room, but just could never keep up with the speed of operations.

Several years back Republic hired someone who was so close to 65 that they had to leave before even finishing training. Some HR people were taken task by management for that little mishap.

Otherwise that would be a huge lawsuit. Much cheaper to pay them to stay home.

As long as the guy is 63.5 or 64..I knew one guy that was 64 and straight up said he just wanted a year as an airline pilot for a year and was on his bucket list his entire life. Some companies might not hire someone that age but others are hurting for pilots. Not sure if he ever made it through training but he was initially hired I believe at Xjt.

Tell your friend all they can say is no. It’s worth the shot!