akada & malaysian eaglet
Two quite young gentlemen who have yet to discover most of what life is really all about.
Both of you talk as though entry into a 'system' or pension scheme or a national airline is the norm. Far from it. The majority of pilots don't progress via that system, you are the chosen few and you shouldn't forget it. The more general route through an aviation career can involve redundancy, cut backs and employment with several companies, going to the bottom of seniority systems from a previously held high position more than once, long periods unemployed and burning up what pension scheme and savings you may have been lucky enough to salvage from the liquidator, when was the last time either of you had to leave a job and join the dole queue?
And what makes you think that you are now getting it harder than we older pilots were at your age? Again, way off, after World War 2 their was an abundance of young pilots who, on reaching 55/60, wanted to carry on flying and did so, to the detriment of their younger colleagues at the time.
I am sure many of us would have loved to chuck it all in and go fishing, sailing, baby sitting or whatever, the sad facts were that we couldn't as there was not enough money in the pot.
Akada, just what are you talking about? "just a short time back flying beyond sixty was not an option", total nonsense. When I first got my ATPL the retirement age was SIXTY FIVE, that was the norm and that is what we are trying to regain, the NORM.
Oh yes, and we have all had a wife and kids to support and on a lot less money than either of you two get paid today and with no job security and little or no pension scheme.
You guys should really do your homework before you post on these forums which are for all professional pilots and not the minority such as yourselves.