How did we ever manage to survive and develop and progress long enough for Quesada to arbitrarily invent and impose the age 60 limit? How many crashed and burned because there was no age 60 rule? Was it ever necessary or just somebody's power trip?
Folks,
The whole story is now quite well known. It was Pete, as the very first FAA Administrator, doing a favour for his old mate, who was President of American Airlines, who had an industrial problem.
When Pete's term was up, he joined the Board if Directors of AA.
There never was any study to justify the "age 60 rule", later adopted by ICAO, and the rest, as "they" say, is history.
Tootle pip!!
PS: The oldest person I know still earing a living flying, as a "check airman" in US terms, will be 86 this year.