I stumbled from one age limit to another.
Come aged 58 I retired from my UK helicopter company when working in China and carried on for another year as a contract pilot.
'Casual Pilot' was the job description so I had been found out after nearly forty years.
When that ceased I was employed by the Chinese company directly doing the same job.
When that ceased I retired at 60 years old because that was the ICAO international age limit; permanently; I thought.
Nine months later my UK company were waving money in front of my face so I flew out of Aberdeen as a contract FO earning more than the captain.
After a couple of years somebody in authority decided that it was unfair that my contract pay, company and ex-service pension meant that I was earning more than he was so he fired me.
I wandered back to China on a social visit and I was told that the Chinese CAAC would recognise the age limits of the host licence so I could get an endorsement to fly to 65. That was useful to know because one of the UK company' captains had clocked a Chinese barmaid. Doing that is quite a big Wrong in China so he had done a runner. They were now one captain short and there was an experienced China captain on their doorstep.
One medical in Hong Kong and a base check and I was back in business.
Nearly 65 and the world is still short of Far East drivers. Get an OZ licence , they say, it lasts for ever. A call to CAAC: Yes, they will respect the age limits of an Australian licence.
Flashes of to Perth and after a months fiddling acquire an Australian licence.
Back to China and an endorsement for my Oz licence gets me back on contract with my UK operator.
I was now flying for and being paid by the largest UK helicopter operator but I am not allowed to fly their G reg. helicopters. I have to stick with the Chinese company's B reg. machines.
Typhoons in China and Cyclones in Australia happen at different times so I was shuttling between China and Australia with the doubtful bonus of being ex military so I was qualified to fly on the RAMSI operation in the Solomon Islands.
Then the Chinese state that all pilots have to have a Chinese licence?????????????????
A call to CAAC....Pass the exams, pass the medical, we will give you a licence.
I passed the medical, the difficult bit, passed the exams so now I was probably the oldest active pilot in a country with a population of 1.3 billion.
The UK company I worked for decided to pull out of China.
A bit of flashing about sorted that I was OK to get a job in Australia but the Chinese company offered me a contract I couldn't refuse so I flew for them for another eighteen months.
I finally retired at 68.8 years.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 18th Mar 2019 at 20:45.