Older pilots in Commercial Aviation

[Foreigner]

JAL has accommodated pilots aged up to 67 years:

Japan lifts pilot age limit to 67 amid Asian shortage | The Japan Times

Where does age limit sit with other airlines?

 

[jb747]

JAL has accommodated pilots aged up to 67 years:

Japan lifts pilot age limit to 67 amid Asian shortage | The Japan Times

Where does age limit sit with other airlines?

There is an international limit for aircraft Captains of 65. No limit for FOs. If one is over 60, the other must be under. I expect this Japanese limit is domestic only.

Domestically (operations solely within Australia), there is no limit.

Personally, I think this is a job that should have an age limit. If you really want to go on forever, become an SO.

 

[kelvedon]

Personally, I think this is a job that should have an age limit. If you really want to go on forever, become an SO.

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is an SO.?

 

[mannej]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is an SO.?

Second officer?

 

[Foreigner]

Could some still work but be relegated to desk duties?

 

[jb747]

Could some still work but be relegated to desk duties?

Sure, but that's really a totally different job. Some have retired and gone to work for CASA, ICAO, even Boeing. Most of the line pilots aren't keen on having management pilots who don't currently fly...they end up well out of touch, even if they don't think so themselves. In any event, there's a very limited number of such jobs.

SOs are Second Officers. They don't fly the aircraft in the critical phases at the start and end of the flight.

Whilst none of us like it...as we get older we are not necessarily as good as we once were. Cunning, knowledge, and experience, makes up for some of it, but there will come a point at which the FOs are more on top of the game than are the Captains. They should be gone before that time.

Sim sessions don't really pick up on this...remember they're the blokes who have the most experience in the sim too. In my experience, the blokes who see the issue, and leave are the ones who aren't the problem. People who either won't admit they're slowing down, or just don't see it, will always be an issue.

Basically the jet is going to get where it's going at about 1,000 feet per second. It's best if the pilots get there at the same time, or earlier...

 

[drron]

Although there is not an official retirement age for commercial pilots in Australia there was a defacto one.That was the imposition of annual stress testing about 30 years ago.Not only has there to be no evidence of heart disease it is required that the exercise should be at least 9 minutes on the Bruce Protocol.That is roughly what a fit 65 year old should be able to do.
It turned out not to limit age but has made older pilots fitter if they want to continue.

 

[Foreigner]

Stress testing focus is on heart-health but following Germanwings accident there is new focus on mental health.

Lufthansa is considering psychological assessments:

Lufthansa CEO raises possibility of medical spot checks for pilots | News | DW.DE | 22.05.2015

Air Traffic Controllers too undergo medical tests as I understand it. Not sure how vigorous those tests are.

 

[dk4]

People who either won't admit they're slowing down, or just don't see it, will always be an issue.

Which is why, IMO, competency based assessment should be broadened to include additional regular testing to pick up on this issue.

While age can be seen as a broad general characteristic to help assess averages, I do not think that it is fair to judge a person's skill and application ability by age. Some people will remain slick, quick and competent well into old age these days, while other people will deteriorate earlier (for any number of reasons). So IMO the way to deal with this, is not by defining an age cut off point, but rather additional testing regimes which are quite suitable to check for this particular "mental agility x-factor".

What I would like to see, on an individual level, is regular testing for "slowing down" as you call it (as well as other regular psychological evaluation), in conjunction with existing competency ratings (both in the simulator and on the flight deck). I do not think that it is reasonably enough, in this day when such tests are widely accessible and can be performed relatively quickly, to prejudge a person's ability to continue to perform a complex job based on their age.