30 west going east. Irrascible Italian- American 58 y/o Captain explains existance of a breakaway union trying to change age 60 and gives 50 y/o copilot an app. Great, says I, will fill it out now......and join when I'm 59!!!! Major blowup on the left..much glee on the right.
31 March 2003: 9 years later, resigned that 1 year and 2 days from today I'm off to retirement with a reasonable pension. Then the judge ruled and down came my world. 60% of my pension gone. Moved the golf posts were!! Changed my goals big time. I'd have moved to the right seat ... anything to keep a pay check so that my wife(#1 incidentally) and I could educate our 2 teenage daughters.
Times change, the age 60 WILL be changed. Too late for me so I'm in a new career passing on my 40+ years in aviation to other folk.
(incidentally the feds put the rule in safety FARS not licence; thus congress HAS to act for it to change)
So LHR et al you will see a change and you will be the beneficiaries. In the meantime let us oldsters bemoan the injustice and don't sabotage us when we try and change the rules.
Good on you GC for starting the thread. PM me!