HK lack of sleep study - still want to work till 65?

[Night Watch]

https://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2185589/lack-sleep-could-damage-dna-and-affect-gene-repair

[Reluctant Bus Driver]

I would like to know the average life ( health) span of a long haul pilot compared to the general population. My own, uneducated opinion, being the " average" western individual, being a junk food eating obese piece of lard with either pre or full blown diabetes, isn't exactly skewing the average upwards. I'm guessing, as the average airline pilot being of ( slightly) above the average health, probably has a leg up... I'm sure statistics will be posted..

[Freehills]

https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/1990s/media/AM95-05.pdf

Data is obviously very old- but US pilots lived >5 years longer than average

[plainpilot11]

What’s 5 years on earth if eternity is real.

[blind pew]

When Swissair was trying to change retirement age from 55 to 58.
Surprisngly short haul pilots had a lower life expectancy than long haul!
But the overall stats very difficult to give a meaningful result. I lost my license when I was 45 ..nutty as a fruitcake probably due to neurotoxins and took an enhanced pension until 65 as will have outlived my last two Male generations..still here at 69 and regularly climbing mountains and flying down. But I flew with several guys who were burnt out in their early 50s and died shortly after retirement.
it's more about quality of life and mentality. I used to take as much unpaid leave as possible and take the family sailing for a month at a time. Spend every penny on enjoying ourselves and have relaxing interests outside of work.
Having grown up in post war austerity I've always appreciated what I've got and that helps.
I have a very good friend who started in coal fired power stations and has done 40 years shift work, the last ten he has been a miserable sod but took early retirement and now has a day job. Changed man.
It's the mental stress that kills.

[patty50]

No use comparing pilot life expectancy to general population.
IQ, health/fitness and income all have dramatic correlations with life expectancy.
Training will weed out those of lesser intelligence, holding a medical incentivises being healthy and eliminates those with chronic issues and pilots are generally paid better than most. Pilots should have significantly more longevity than the general population.

A 50 year old male in the US earning over $120k can expect to live to around 90. If you take out those with diabetes and other chronic issues bump that up to 92-95. I have my doubts today’s cohort will make it that long.

[krismiler]

The pilots in the study would have done the bulk of their flying during the 1970s and 1980s. Aircraft weren't capable of ULH in those days, there were no 15-19 hour legs. The middle east slave airlines hadn't got going yet, any long haul was done by legacy airlines where pilots had unions to prevent them being worked to death.

A more recent study of EK B777 pilots doing ULH with minimum rest between flights and working to maximum hours without counting time spent in the bunk would likely yield different results.

[oldpax]

Not in aviation but worked shifts most of my life and a fare few were 12 hr shifts.On my last job and I was 72 (I liked my work) I succumbed to an illness (pericarditis)due to fatigue and a week of rain !I Got very tired and finally started having chest pains and that was that,company said goodbye don't come back!So I guess I was just too old for shifts and work told me!!

[jumbobelle]

I would like to know the average life ( health) span of a long haul pilot compared to the general population. My own, uneducated opinion, being the " average" western individual, being a junk food eating obese piece of lard with either pre or full blown diabetes, isn't exactly skewing the average upwards. I'm guessing, as the average airline pilot being of ( slightly) above the average health, probably has a leg up... I'm sure statistics will be posted..

Yes indeed, we are by the nature of our medicals statistically healthier than the average population, which makes a direct health comparison with them difficult. The nearest might be measuring pilots' longevity against other shift workers that need to be in good health (firefighters for instance).

[unstableapproach]

or compare with ATC

[unitedabx]

A study carried out by Birmingham University in the UK for the UK Government suggested that for every year a man worked over the age of 60, his life expectancy reduced by 1 week. For women the figure was 2 days. Women live longer. This study covered a range of jobs/careers including commercial pilots but because the data for pilots was so alarmingly high they were excluded from the final results.
This study was used by the Government to allow pension ages to be increased for women from 60 to 65 and men from 65 to 67.
BALPA commissiomned it's own survey and the results suggested for every year a male pilot worked over 60, life expectancy reduced by 1 month. So 400% higher than so called "normal" 9-5 jobs.

[SOPS]

All I know was at the age of 55 I realised that if I kept flying the rosters that EK demand, I might not live long enough to enjoy retirement. So I stopped flying.. completely. And have never felt better!!

[anxiao]

Way back in 1985 in CX as a young fit FO sprog I remember the first flights up to Europe, first via BAH then direct. A wise Captain who was in his early fifties opined that "A night out of bed is a day off your life."

As an opinion I have seen it validated over the last 30 odd years, not just in aviation but in other industries that insist on making money on the back of the body clock. It was one of the reasons that I left commercial aviation before my retirement date.

I saw a photo of myself the other day taken a year before I threw in the towel, at the crew hotel BEFORE a long haul flight after three days off. I look like methusaleh's grandfather. I can honestly say that I look ten years younger than the man in the photo, and that is 8 years ago.

Be careful out there.

[Simplythebeast]

[QUOTE=jumbobelle;10401241]Yes indeed, we are by the nature of our medicals statistically healthier than the average population, which makes a direct health comparison with them difficult. The nearest might be measuring pilots' longevity against other shift workers that need to be in good health (firefighters for instance)

I believe firefighters can sleep through nightshifts only responding to actual callouts so not a good comparison.

[krismiler]

We are healthier than the general population whilst we hold a current medical, no diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease and certain illnesses are likely to be picked up at an early stage where they can be treated. Pilots who have lost their medicals and those who have retired need to be looked at in greater detail.

[Air Profit]

It's only getting worse at CX. The new rostering protocols are destroying what little lifestyle options we had left (hence the high level of sickness, which the GMF seems to believe isn't warranted). The high level of integrated patterns, night flying, minimum days off, combined with the psychological stress of many not being able to live a life away from work is leading to the inevitable catastrophe. Many pilots are coming down with fatigue, serious illness, inflight incapacitation's (even death's) are increasing and many pilots are realising that another day with CX is probably two days off their life expectancy. The CX medical system is a catastrophe, the bullying and intimidation continues.... It won't end well.

[Gnadenburg]

Perhaps a better comparison would be between career long haul and short haul pilots.

So KA pilots ?