Rules and reason in the forced retirement of commercial airline pilots at age 60

Abstract

Abstract In this salute to Tom Singleton, a logic to discuss a mandatory retirement age is suggested. Mandatory retirement in airline pilots is examined as a framework for the discussion. In the thirty-five years since the age 60 mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots was adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration, many changes have occurred in life expectancy, mortality and morbidity rates, economic conditions, and in the nature of flying itself that impact upon that decision. It is suggested that the policymakers look at the following three general areas as criteria when adjusting the age of mandatory retirement: actual job performance, information processing capacity and physical capacity. Information processing and physical capacity provide information about the necessary, but not sufficient conditions that must be met in order to fly an aircraft. Actual job performance is the final measure of a pilot's ability to fly at any age.