COMMERCIAL AIRLINES Are pilots too old to fly at age 60?

The FAA says 60 remains the best estimate of when a decline in health and skills may jeopardize safety.
ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Many airline passengers like to see gray hair in the cockpit. It looks like the pilot is a seasoned pro who could better handle stormy weather or a tricky landing.
But gray hair hasn't been so popular with the Federal Aviation Administration. For more than 40 years, the government has been adamant that airline pilots retire by their 60th birthday. The FAA says that after that, skills deteriorate and accident rates go up.
Now, pressure is building on Capitol Hill -- and in many cockpits -- to raise the retirement age.
Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, said advances in health care mean that pilot skills don't deteriorate when they turn 60. "When it comes to flying, older and more experienced is better," said Mica. He plans to hold hearings on the controversial rule.
Some pilots complain that 60 is an arbitrary age and that the FAA is relying on flawed studies to support the retirement rule. The Air Line Pilots Association, the world's largest pilot union, is reconsidering its long-held support for the rule.
The debate boils down to a simple but elusive question: How old is too old?
Debate
Nobody disputes that pilots, like drivers, lose skills as they age. The debate is over when that happens and how to identify it.
Most studies have focused on the accident rates for pilots as they age. But the studies have been contradictory.
Some support the age 60 rule. They indicate older pilots are more likely to have accidents. One by the FAA showed a "U-shaped curve," with higher accident rates for pilots in their 20s, then a low rate for middle ages, and higher rates for older pilots.
But critics say the analysis was flawed. They say it unfairly compared the ages because the safest pilot group -- those flying big commercial jets -- was forced to retire at 60.
A central idea behind the age 60 rule is the belief that an older pilot loses flying skills or is more likely to become incapacitated while flying. But advocates of an older retirement age say the FAA's strict safety rules leave little chance that incapacitation would cause a crash.
"There are two pilots on board for the same reason we have two engines on the plane and two types of every [critical] system," said Stan Sutterfield, a Southwest Airlines captain and chairman of the advocacy group Airline Pilots Against Age Discrimination.
Piloting a big jet requires "management skills and sound judgment," Southwest Airlines Capt. Joseph Eichelkraut told a Senate committee in September. "These are talents that I have found typically come with age and experience."
Sticking to it
The FAA has heard many complaints over the years but is sticking by the rule. The agency says 60 remains the best estimate of when a decline in pilots' health and cognitive skills may jeopardize safety.
"It is well-demonstrated that the system we are using works," said FAA spokesman Paul Turk. "The FAA has not found any reason, based on the available research and its interpretations, to change the existing standards."
Key Senators and House members say the rule is outdated.
Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a former Transportation secretary, said "healthy and capable" pilots are being grounded because of the rule.
"We live in a world where medical technology has helped to prolong our lifespan and serve as a modern-day fountain of youth," said Dole, who, along with others, has suggested more frequent medical exams for older pilots.