Sadly BJ as an industry we have let ourselves down. We are facing a desperate shortage of experience but rather than band together and make a serious attack on the situation via BHAB and BALPA we have watched one or two individuals such as Uncle Ian put their heads above the parapet and then sat back and waited for a result.
At any meeting of operators these days the cry of where are the next generation and can we keep the old guys going is the most frequently heard sound.
The next generation are being stymied by the sheer cost of the qualifications and don't yet have the experience for the job.
The old guys who have all the experience are now falling off the perch at a scary rate of knots and our beloved CAA seem to be ignoring the potential safety problems. Maybe they see it as a way to finally close us down and get rid of the problem that way.
If a pilot can pass the medical and all his checks then he is as far as I'm concerned fit to fly single pilot public transport. At this firm we have lost three first class freelancers to public transport this year due to age. Strange how they still pass the meds, still pass the checks and are still allowed to fly the aircraft owners privately over the same landscape they were flying over last year.
The CAA and BHAB are paid for by us, the operators. Perhaps its time we decided they are past it and paid someone else to regulate and represent us.
Knowing my luck by the time I'm due to go retirement will have gone up to seventy.