Airline Pilot Retirement Age Goes to 65
Although this post is mostly about aviation, it is tangentially related to employment law. And since I love airplanes (and flying them), I'm using the tangential relationship to justify writing about it here.
The "Fair Treatment for Experienced Pilots Act" was signed by the President on December 12. It raises the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots from 60 to 65. Here's the FAA's press release on the new law.
Gray hair in the cockpit is a good thing. Gray hair usually indicates experience --- and a lifetime of training --- which translates into safety. Pilots remain subject to the usual FAA requirement that they qualify for a first class medical certificate every six months.
A hat tip to fellow employment law blogger Michael Fox for being on top of this development.