Wallabie/Engineer
The sole reasons that airlines like KLM and BA have a retirement age of 55 are internal and to do as much with the pension scheme as anything else. Such airlines usually take their pilots in young and offer them a full career, by the time they reach the age of 55 they cannot improve their pensions anymore as they have reached limits set by government legislation. The age of 55 has absolutely nothing to to with health or competency issues.
Now would either of you care to show any evidence at all where it has been proved that pilots who fly beyond the age of sixty are more accident prone than younger pilots or more likely to suffer ill health in flight? In fact several studies have been done that prove quite the opposite.
The vast majority of pilots have not had the good fortune to be employed by one of the major carriers and been able to enjoy a full career with continuity and a fat pension scheme. Unfortunately a large number of people are not aware of this and assume everyone has had the same deal.
Last edited by BlueEagle; 13th August 2002 at 22:23.