Yeah work out first and foremost... if your financial plan includes flying after age 55.

Then might as well do your other job if you have one, or personal development, college or other learning interests.

I never watch much TV, and over the years that adds up to thousands of hours that I didn't waste.

 

Just think of all the time you spend on APC. I’m just as guilty.

 

Everyone loses their first class medical eventually, it's preferable to lose it at 65 versus 45 or 55. What are the most frequent causes for loss of medical prior to 65?

I would like to know in order to take preventative action. I don't want to end up on that list, I doubt anyone intentionally sabotages their own health.

I would suspect diabetes, cancer, or heart conditions, but what are the real-life circumstances that have ended 121 flying careers?

 

Check in some uniques on Untappd.

 

Yeah, but that's at least interactive and possibly enlightening. And if I'm here, I'm usually doing one of my other gigs in another browser.

 

Most typically in my observation, in no particular order...

Cardiovascular (arrhythmia can often be treated quickly with pacemaker/beta blockers, back to work in a matter of weeks, clogged arteries obviously more problematic).

Cancer. Get all the checkups you're supposed to. Healthy lifestyle. Sunblock.

Diabetes. Monitor your blood sugar, if you fail the AME's test you're waaaay far gone. If you catch it early, you can usually completely reverse it with exercise and diet. If it's in the family may want to go ahead and get started now. You'll need to lose a lot of weight by typical standards... google your ideal weight, you're probably way over it unless you run marathons. Most (not all) adult diabetes is totally preventable, and even reversible. I'm nowhere near ideal weight, but it's mostly muscle mass. That's better than fat but still extra work for your pancreas. I'm prepared to quickly transition to a distance runner physique if needed.

Back Problems. The AME doesn't know how much it hurts, so folks usually quit aviation of their accord rather than keep suffering. Some airplane seats don't help, but the root cause is either/both:

a) Extreme sports/military duty as a kid.
b) Excess weight, no exercise, and age.

Maintain a good core routine, assuming you haven't already jacked it up.

Loss of Consciousness. This is more likely as you age and HAS to be explained. if no explanation, you'll be grounded for 3+ years. No biggy if obviously caused by illness, exertion, extreme environment, or even fatigue/hunger. If due to impact injury, expect 3+ years off... so helmets for risky outdoor activities.

Vertigo. Inner problems are common as you age. Usually a quick fix but there's a common inner ear cancer which causes vertigo so get it checked out asap.

 

This should be a thread of its own. Interesting to know

 

Bingo: Happened to me 4.5 years ago. Loss of License and LTD, still
out, but fairly painless compared to some of the LTD horror stories out there.

Used to read on layovers also internet surfing and if 3-4 days, go to town bar-hopping.

 

Study another language. Makes the time pass quick, especially on long overnights, long legs or sits and you feel like you actually accomplished something in the end. Plus it’s a great add on to the resume.

 

It adds one line of text to your resume, but nothing else.