In what time frame? ICAO isn't anywhere close to raising the limit, and that was the driving factor in the FAA raising it. Even on top of that it took a major effort and years to do. There will be an even greater fight this time against raising it.

 

Maybe a better question is; How many folks are willing and able to stay on past age 65?

I'm not sure that any official data has been gathered on that, but looking at part 91 (corporate) and 135 operations does any one have a good idea?

I've heard of and also run into a few guys who seem to be "fly til I die" types. Which I hope to do myself, but I'd like to give up flying *professionally* sometime before turing 65.

 

So how many airlines that have filed bankruptcy in the last 5 years said they want to keep pilots around longer so that labor costs can continue to go up?

Five years ago they were winning major concessions in pay so how senior the payscales would become wasn't as much of a concern. Horton, tasked with restructuring AMR (hope I named the right guy) has said very specifically and publicly how he would. He states that reducing labor costs by removing senior pilots and replacing them with pilots of a lower payscale is part of his plan to turn AMR from deficits to surpluses.

After Colgan (even though age was never mentioned as a cause), how many politicians would support the idea of 67 year old captains?

And lastly, does the public support the idea of 67 year old pilots in the cockpit? That is just polling information I don't have, but I'm thinking I could guess where public support would fall.

The FAA has no skin in the game as far as I can tell, and I don't think they would lobby either for raising the age nor against it.

So, ultimately, where does the support to raise the age to 67 come from? People think regionals would be dessimated by the shortage, but I doubt they're thinking that far ahead. All the bankrupt (and profiting) ones care about is reducing costs and I imagine they're drooling at the oppertunity to get rid of their senior pilots in mass and going cheap on the pay scale. Even if it were to their detriment.

 

If the mandatory retirement age was changed to 67 (or 70), but with a restriction that PICs had to be under the age of 65, I seriously doubt many would choose to stick around.

 

Don't be so sure. There are plenty that would go from captain to sitting sideways as a FE if we still had the seat...

 

great......we already have a green on green provision in our FOM, now we have to add a grey on grey?? I'm gonna have to card everyone I fly with!

 

I hope it is raised to 70. By the time I get there, the added five years would bring me a minimum of an additional $1.5-2.0 million in base salary alone.

 

Does that figure include 5 years of being stuck at a regional/downgraded/furloughed due to the bump in age?

Seriously folks - save your money. Retire. Buy the one house with the one wife. Get a vasectomy to avoid BKs.

And keep it at 65.

 

Why is there going to be a shortage? And who is to blame?
There must be a reason why there is a decline in pilot certificates.

 

And STDs from the FAs in the BMWs!