US senate age limit enacted???

[m&v]

About 18months ago the US Senate passed the bill to raise the age limit ,for Airline pilots,to 63.....
Nothing more was heard of this,the FAA opposed it as per the Unions,and then Sept' occured.
Recently there was some reference in the press regarding this limitation-Has anybody any further info(I didn't note the Press info)???:)

[BlueEagle]

On page 9 of Flight International for the period 24-30 September there is an article.

Very briefly, an organisation called the Professional Pilots Federation, (PPF), are claiming that the original setting of the age at 60, by the FAA, was created under false pretences, by Elwood Quesada of the FAA to help American Airlines chairman C R Smith solve a pilots dispute. The PPF claim to have documentary evidence and are preparing to go to court.

Ten pilots are applying to the FAA to be exempt from forced retirement and anticipate this request will be denied, the PPF will then launch a lawsuit and say they will expose the alleged fraud.

Hope this helps. :)

[B767300ER]

It looks as if this measure is gaining steam, but the US pilot unions and FAA are still against changing the rule.

The possibility exists that it will change eventually; the question is when.
http://www.surfsidehawaii.com/aatwa.gif

[GlueBall]

Curiously, there is a website dedicated to this subject. Check out the latest Update (http://www.paad60.com/) :p

[Flip Flop Flyer]

Excuse me. When these people joined up they knew the rules of the game. Now when time is coming to step down and let someone else take their place, the bitching begins. In typical US fashion they are threatning with a lawsuit. Just marvellous. I will wager a penny that it is the same kind of people who like to put their chosen profession on a pedestal, telling everybody how demanding etc the job is and how far from a "normal" job it is. Fair enough, but then don't expect to have the same retirement age as people holding a "normal" job. Either the job is "special" and as such have "special" conditions applied to it, such as mandatory retirement age, or the job is not "special" and should be regarded as any other job. Of course this could open a very ugly book reviewing the work conditions, renumeration etc. I suppose that could be counter-productive.

Time's up gentlemen, retire in good fashion as countless others have done before you. If you have failed to save up enough to secure your retirement, don't blame the rules.

[BlueEagle]

FlipFlopFlyer - You wouldn't happen to be the joker who wrote the editorial for 'Flight' this week would you? (24-30 Sept).

As far as the UK is concerned you are way, way off. The retirement age WAS 65 and was, only a few years ago, changed quite arbitrarily to 60, so yes I agree with you, we knew the rules when we started and now we would like those same rules to apply.

The fact that anyone should have to go to court anywhere is quite wrong. The age should be 65, subject to health and performance, as there is NO evidence, (despite what the editorial in 'Flight' says), to suggest that there is any increased risk to anyone.

[apfds]

Blue Eagle,

I am sorry but you are wrong, the UK retirement age is 65. Theoreticaly the European Union is all 65, but some of the countries have not enacted the law.

[BlueEagle]

Yes, apfds, the good news is that the age has quite recently gone back to 65 in the UK but some years ago it was arbitrarily changed from 65 to 60 and it stayed there until the most recent change.

Anyone coming up for retirement now was born around 1942/3, probably started their flying career around 1960/65 when the retirement age was 65 and have every right(!?) to expect the rules of the day to be honoured, as Flip Flop Flyer suggests they should.:)

[GlueBall]

In the USA the problem is that one cannot begin to collect partial Social Security pension until age 62, and full benefits not until age 65. So the pilot who is out of a job at age 60 is out of pay for at least two years. (No age limit for F/Es).

But in one 1994 Space Shuttle mission, Storey Musgrave, at age 61, proved that he was still able to be the commander.

Curious, isn't it?

[PODKNOCKER]

In UK you do not get a state pension until 65. You can start to take benefits from a private scheme at age 50. A private scheme with Equitable Life may be worthless soon if they go into liquidation and they may be the tip of the iceberg...I need to work until 65, I want to work until 65 and I will work until 65.
In 2006 EU law will dictate that I can work until 65.
Who can stop me?...the docs, the USA and of course the French!
I started flying in 1968 when the retirement age was 65.
Most of my generation have played snakes and ladders with Laker, Dan Air, Air Europe, BCAL, Court Line, British Eagle, British Cargo, Transmeridian Air Cargo etc. etc.
The younger generation who want us to vacate their seats have yet be a senior training captain with an airline one day then be the most junior first officer with another airline after six months on the dole.
Beancounters and suits do not have a passion for this business and airline failures will probably increase over the years, so watch this space and enjoy it while it lasts.

[weedflier]

This early pension thing was all very well for pilots with major airlines, making high salaries and then being able to retire on earnings-related, index-linked salaries. For most of us, who either work for minor airlines, or fly helicopters, we don't have that luxury. Many companies which had 'final salary' pension schemes are now scrapping them (Bristow Helicopters, since becoming just another division of their American masters, OLOG, comes to mind) and many of us who have only ever been able to pay into private pension schemes are finding that their value has decreased considerably over the last couple of years, which will cause considerable hardship if we have to retire at 60 (especially if we're unfortunate enough to have endowment mortgages which will no longer be sufficient to pay off the balance of our mortgages at that age). Thank goodness there are still opportunities for working beyond 60. I have several friends of over 60 who are still flying commercially and as long as they are still able to pass a Class 1 medical and their professional competence checks I can't see why not. Flip Flop Flyer's remarks are totally irrelevant as the rules of the game have changed several times over the lives of many professional pilots who are now getting close to retirement.

[Flip Flop Flyer]

BlueEagle,

Happy to say that I have no connection to Flight whatsoever, apart from reading the magazine that is. Obviously I should have known better than to trust a journalist, they are notoriously even less dependable than women.

If, on the date of hire, the pension age is X and then somewhere down the line is changed to X -5, then I will agree that is unfair practice.

PS
Sorry 'bout the "women" remarks, just been fcuked over twice and not in a very good mood :(