Another issue to consider is a crew where the surviving pilot is a weak MPL First Officer.
I surely would not want to be riding as a passenger westbound at 60W with a deceased Captain, SATCOM and CATIII MEL'd, the HF at 1 x 5, and with eastern Canada in a blizzard and most of the US east coast <2400 RVR.
Enjoy the ride. Your MPL is going to decide where to land, and attempt to hand fly a CATII approach with a dead body on the floor behind him.
Great system we're setting up with commercial aviation.
Albeit I see strengths on both sides of the United States' mandatory retirement debate, the only age limit with which I'd be in complete agreement would be the implementation of a damned flight attendant age restriction! Wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise?? It'd be so nice to even have one that I'd settle for an "Age 60" restriction- but hey, if we're dreaming, here, wouldn't it be nice to finally see an "Age 30" restriction
"UK life tables give the probability of death in the next year for a man aged 60 as 0.97 %. At 65 this is about 1.6%. Small numbers but still 50% raise. For info at 32 its 0.1%."
This statistic does not apply to the pilot group which, compared to the general population the statistic applies to generally contains a group of people with considerably better health statistics who are continuously monitored on a regular basis.
It is equally stupid and misleading to quote a similar statistic "that prior to the increase in retirement age that all pilots who died on the flightdeck were aged 60 or less"
Most pilot incapacitations are not deaths but relate to food poisoning and other medical issues that are equally spread through the age groups. Death on the flightdeck is very rare.
Young pilots surprise me with their "demands" that older pilots should step aside so that they may be promoted. What other professions do this at similar ages? Surely the legal requirements to have a valid medical and be proficient as well as multi-pilot crewing means that individual pilots should retire when the time is right for them.
Used to be, to be a Flight Attendant you had to be a Registered Nurse. Then well into the Fifties I think it was so that you had be young, attractive and single. Oh, and "White," same as the guys in the cockpit. My, my... how times have changed!
Nowadays we have all sorts of legislation meant to ensure fairness so that you might get your coffee spilt upon you by some screaming queen, a person of colour, a woman you find sexually unattractive due to her geriatricity (what we used to call "a wrinkled old hag")... the possibilities are practically endless where once it was just variations on a theme of "Barbie."
Said beverage spillage might now be down to ham-fisted efforts on the part of just about anyone, even someone over 60, up there in the cockpit or as we now call it, the flight deck where that, too, was once the domain of just guys with "the right stuff."
I would allow one exception: for landing on the Hudson river I gess that in the cabin they were glad to fly with attendants who had 30+ years of training for emergency evac. rather than 'Barbies' !!!
Is it not time that this thread was closed, its a shame that this pilot passed away during a flight, he is not the first and I am sure he will not be the last
EDGA, I'll half-heartedly agree: while it doesn't take a geriatric to chant, "Brace for impact! Brace! Brace!", it wouldn't hurt if the chanters were mature enough to know what these words mean... in the context of an airplane emergency, of course .
Rubbish!
It's all about training! My colleague had an accident some years ago, the FA's were around 20 years old and did a superb job evacuating the passengers. That included carrying an old lady off the aircraft.
I'd like to see a 70 year old FA do the same.
What kind of experiece will prepare you for an evacuation after a ditching? It's not like you have done that 5 times before even if you have been flying for 30 years.
I have flown with the most amazing pilots who were over 60 years and reliable as ever and to judge a person by age in their capabilities is really sad....I'd sooner fly with a pilot of 60 than a new one with min experience!
I had an incident where I walked into the cockpit to find both crew sleeping!!!They were not in their 60's but were fatigued as hell!!!!Just dont judge.
If you love to fly I couldn't think of a better way t go than up there!!
As for a Hosti and her training....well I looked liked Barbie,poured a fab cup of tea and could perform CPR and try save a life to the best of my ability and I sure as hell would have pulled your butt out of a burning plane faster than the aircraft had been flying but that would be because I was in my early 20's and trained well...now at 27 I CANT fly due to pain a MEDICAL cant pick up!!I wouldnt be able to pull your butts from the burning plane should I have kept flying so I stopped on my own accorded knowing I wasnt doing my job properly.
Regardless of age dont judge on what you cant see....
If you as a young pilot feel you can do a better job than that of a pilot of 30 odd years of experience you dont deserve to be in the cockpit in the first place. Be respectful, they the ones who will teach your young but to REALLY fly!
FAA sending medical letter to older pilots with heart issues?
Just received a letter from the FAA saying, "We have received three documents dated October 24, 2007; however, we are still unable to establish your eligibility to hold a medical certificate."
I've had a heart murmur for about 10 years, and with echocardiogram every six months have always retained a Second Class Medical because no change has been observed. I don't fly commercially now (Navy but never airlines), so I go the two years before renewing these days.
Given that's it's been 20 months since they last looked at my medical I wonder if other pilots with heart-related issues have received such a letter, thanks to a sudden emphasis related to this Continental event. Or maybe I'm just lucky?
!!!
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