Oh God no, the last thing this business needs is more military arses demanding instant upgrades because they think they are better than everyone else.:ugh:The ability to fly upside down and ponce about in a green or heaven forbid, red, flight suit does not imply instant suitability for command/training/management or the god given right to take over the company and stuff it with one's "mates" to the detriment of everyone else.

Also, such a requirement is no different than restricting entry to those who can afford to pay. Two wrongs do not a right make.

:{

Of course it does. :p

Real pilots, over 12,000 hours and working for pleasure
 

I had the same dilema eight years ago except it was worse because you couldn't fly over France over 60, unless you held a French licence

Eastern Airways UK, Jetstream 41 gave me good flying and some pay for the five years

Shame you didn't bother to read my post. I said five years in the military doing anything. No mention of flying, no mention of which service just five years in the military environment to give these youngsters a chance to mature and begin to understand that it won't always be 'me, me, me first', a chance to begin to understand chains of command and authority, that way they don't turn up in the RHS with little experience but thinking they know it all, they arrive as already a team player.

why retire from one hobby
 

65+, still flying on my FAA ATPL.

Just let my JAA lapse due to the 'improved' medical checks.

As handle suggests working on Gulfstreams, mostly in Middle East.

I stated flying as a hobby at 17yrs old, and 13,000 later still a hobby, and still getting paid for my hobby.

Sorry parabellum, bit of a pavlovian response from me. Having suffered through one particular outfit which had been taken over by ex mil types who thought that anyone who had not followed their exact career path was in some way morally and professionally suspect I tend to react accordingly.

Mind you I'm not sure that a load of embittered ex squaddies would really fit the bill either. How about selecting people on the basis of their ability to fit in? Flying airliners does not really call for the ability to dodge missiles or SAS survival techniques as a prerequisite.

:ok:........................

Well, that is one extreme end of the spectrum zeddb! I was thinking of something a bit nearer the middle, no reason for the troops to be embittered! Just happy at having completed five years of character building stuff they then had the opportunity to go flying, if they are up to it!;)

l would beg to differ. Flying airliners calls for all of those skills.

l hit 62 last weekend and can`t bare the thought. Conned by a German

company leasing aircraft and finished up shipwrecked - excuse the

mixed metaphor- with the wrong type rating at the wrong time at the

wrong age.

They knew when the contract was ending but didn`t tell me.

l phoned in the week following what turned out to be my last flight ever to

be told " l can`t talk to you now, l`m going out to dinner"

l finished up a few quid short of retirement still able to make anything

with wings on talk, and save the tyres.

Why are pilots so disreputable ?

10watt the lifeboat is pretty full, with lots of us in it with you.
in my industry I survived for years but eventually retrenchment hit me.
decided to give my love of aviation a run.
I went on a Commercial theory course to fast track the work and passed.
Two weeks before the end of the course Ansett collapsed and the jobs market evaporated.
previous employ evaporated, aviation evaporated, everything since then has gradually evaporated.
who cares.
nothing to get morbid about.
a lot of ex atpl's build themselves a little homebuilt and fly that.

try to stay out of debt.
be kind to people around you.
never ever close your mind to a new idea.

debt.
 

Bless.

Accounts will show that l`m notionally about 5k in the red, if l move onto

a park bench.

My ex didn`t cough when l stopped payments, l did explain why.

For me ? 12hrs a day/ 6 days a week to keep the lights on.

The German is having Sharon Osbourne clinical treatment to help him look

younger.

Am l bitter ?

No. l`ve come across this type of person before over the years.

All l need do is find something exciting. And get on with life.

understanding the problem is half the solution.

do you have a local unemployment service?
go down and badger them for a job even if it is just for the fun of it.

l did say 12hrs a day 6 days a week.

For peanuts, enough to keep the lights on but not the heating.

lt`s sometimes difficult to drag my sorry arse out of bed before dawn, but

so far so good.

W8, you are a good guy. Catch you later ?

Yeah, we need more like double 8 to counsel. My mate, aged over 60 was called into the fleet office & given the Boss's Assistant who explained why the company was going to have to let him go with immediate effect. In the middle of the explanation, Office Boy's wife phones and a discussion on whether or not she wants mayonnaise on her KFC take home burger ensues. My buddy wished there was a KFC burger handy on the table as Office Boy would have wound up wearing it. That office visit terminated 40 years in the airline industry. Charming. But, he is terribly happy enjoying retirement because he has a certain optimistic & positive attitude to everything.

Work for the over 60s
 

I was too selfish about wanting to fly to become an instructor when in the services. Now, I would like to instruct and pass on my dangerous habits and dare I suggest the odd tit-bit of wisdom and experience which has allowed me to become an old and bold pilot. However, the route to become an instructor seems tortuous and expensive. It has always bothered me how the most inexperienced pilots use instructing to build up their hours. I was heading for Flight Safety at one moment but they seem undecided on their helicopter simulator future. I'm not averse to ground instructing and not too far from Oxford so perhaps I will investigate. The ideal might be to find an owner of a decent aircraft/helicopter who wants their hand-holding/reassurance as they build their experience.

"Flying at 95!!
 

My Dad is an ex RAF Bomber Pilot (WW2)
He flew Bostons with 88 Squadron and was one of the aircraft laying smoke on the Normandy Beaches on D Day.
Just recently, he was Guest of Honour at the celebrations at RAF Brize Norton, and during his visit (I was with him) he was shown around the whole station including Air Tanker training unit.
He was invited to take the right hand seat in the Voyager simulator, and after 10 minutes instruction, and familiarisation with the controls, made a perfect simulated landing back at Brize, much to the delight and applause from the instructors and on lookers..
So when I read in another thread of people moaning about ageism in the airlines, be very humbled at this.
Dudley Valentine son of F/O Leslie Valentine CdeG RAF (Rtd)

Oh well, that kicks the 'retirement bubble' can quite a bit down the road for all those hopefulls waiting for airlines to recruit ;-)

Amazing story though!