Originally Posted by
Gonzo
40 year old ATCOs have, what, 10-20 years of ATC experience and knowledge to call upon to compensate for their diminishing mental capacity, so their overall ability does not decrease. Ask someone to start from scratch in ATC at 40 years old and a very high proportion would struggle.
Its for exactly this reason that I decided to hand in my (military) licence at age 41. I recognised that I wasn't anywhere near as fast, mentally, as I had been and it was my experience which was keeping me ahead of the game, not my 'reflexes' or mental agility. So I retired from controlling but am still involved (heavily) in ATC, only in helping to provide the tools for active controllers to make their job easier and safer.
BD