Talking of making it to retirement, one element of stress I see in the current generation of airline pilots is the way career progression now works in some companies,countries.
In days gone by you would join as a SO/FO/FE on smaller regional machines, probably in your twenties. Then move up to a more sophisticated perhaps long haul position as you neared thirty. An initial command back on the first type a few years later meant you were mostly local as important life issues such as marriage and kids were happenning. Through your forties you might fly the likes of DC-9's and 727's until only in your's 50's did your seniority cough up a longhaul command on 747's or DC 10's.
These days I know of pilots who joined on the 747 in their 20's in the early 1980's and are still flying them today, twenty years non stop and probably another twenty to go.
I think forty years of constant long haul flying is at least as badly researched as any of the problems associated with LLC's. Whats worse is the possibility both factors may combine in the future if the market demands it.
