…When to Hang It Up!

Notatestpilot

Notatestpilot

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Notatestpilot
I was amazed to read about an 85 year old still flying his (high performance) homebuilt.
I’m in my early 50’s, I figure I can keep flying until I’m in my mid to late 60’s.
I guess the other safeguard is the biennial flight review, if that does not go well with the CFI, it’s time to ‘hang it up’!
I welcome your comments - thanks!
 
Notatestpilot said:
I was amazed to read about an 85 year old still flying his (high performance) homebuilt.
I’m in my early 50’s, I figure I can keep flying until I’m in my mid to late 60’s.
I guess the other safeguard is the biennial flight review, if that does not go well with the CFI, it’s time to ‘hang it up’!
I welcome your comments - thanks!
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:eek: Well crap, I guess it's time for me to give it some thought, NOT!

I'm sure you have plenty of years of flying still ahead of you. FYI, the mind will keep chugging along thinking it's 20 something, the body is the first to go. If you played sports growing up or just played hard at life, it takes a toll on the body parts. o_O
 
It is an individual thing. Hopefully you will know when it is time. My plan is this. Fly basicmed until I can't. Fly LSA until I can't (could be the same as basicmed). Then fly with other people. I have flown with 80+ year olds who were great pilots and I would let them fly my wife and kids around. I have flown with much younger pilots that I wouldn't fly with if I didn't have controls in front of me.
 
I've seen some competent pilots @90. Could they have the stamina to fly 80+ hard time hours per month, probably not. But if they stay practiced, a several hour flight is entirely doable. For some its not doable at 30 yrs old. Everyone is different. some of the insidious reduction in what you are capable of is largely made up by experience. As said, your body usually gives up before your brain.
 
DFH65 said:
It is an individual thing. Hopefully you will know when it is time. My plan is this. Fly basicmed until I can't. Fly LSA until I can't (could be the same as basicmed). Then fly with other people. I have flown with 80+ year olds who were great pilots and I would let them fly my wife and kids around. I have flown with much younger pilots that I wouldn't fly with if I didn't have controls in front of me.
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Agreed. My hangar neighbor is over 80 and will take his bonanza up for short flights on vfr days. When he goes to Florida he hires a trusted cfi to fly down with him & bring the plane back.

Age is just a number. I'm trying to put in the work now to extend the number of functional years I have to go.
 
I am 65 and wonder the same thing with regards to when I will know it is time to quit. The best advice I was given was from a friend in my antique motorcycle club that quit riding motorcycles. His advice was when something happens that scares you and that feeling stays with you for a few days it is time to quit that activity. His reasoning was as we age we mentally transition from lessons learned to fear of what can unexpectedly happen.
 
Our local AME was still flying his Bonanza into his 90s, though he probably should have quit a bit sooner. After his second minor taxiing accident he finally did hang it up, he died a couple of years later.
 
My instructor was 89 (now 92) and flies a C177RG. 60 is still considered young at my flying club and if you are in your 50’s, you would be in the minority.
 
you see the same thing with driving on the road. My thought is that its sometimes hard to either see it or accept it....but things like balance and reflex speed deteriorate much like vision over time.
One thing I've observed....ever noticed that whenever you get behind someone driving super slow that very often it's the stereo type old lady behind the wheel...or sometimes it's someone with a handicapped parking permit? I think that most folks tend to subconsciously slow down to their ability. Just like old folks being super critical of "reckless teenagers" driving fast and weaving.... sometimes they are applying their own paradigm of someone that needs to slow down and do one thing at a time to that kid and not considering that their vision, balance, and reflex speed is probably a lot better, as is their ability to "multitask".
 
The theme I see with men as they get older is what I call the “when I get better mentality”. As you age you lose both mental and physical ability. You need to recognize the lose and more importantly recognize you aren’t going to get better. Make adjustments and accept more simple missions and machines.
 
I know a guy who was flying professionally (91 not 135) until he hit 80. He didn't retire for medical reasons his wife just decided it was time for him to finally stay home and work on the honey-do list.
 
I'm pushing 84 and have 2 simple airplanes. A PA-22 and a Forney F-1. I'll tell you it's a real chore just climbing on a ladder to refuel the Tri-Pacer. I need a stool to climb up on the wing of the Forney. I'm an IA and doing the annuals takes me forever! That said, I'm going to keep at it at least until the next IA renewal. That will be 3/23. Even though I just fly around the patch from time to time I ain't ready to throw in the towel yet. :p
 
Hangar neighbor will be 93 this summer. Just sold his A36, still has his V-tail Bo. Flies about 8-10 hrs a year, visits the hangar almost daily doing stuff.

When I first started, I figured I’d hang it up at 60. Now that’s too close, so I dunno.

Datadriver said:
surprised he can get ANY type of insurance
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Insurance is an option. He doesn’t carry any. He says “if you can’t afford to lose it, you probably shouldn’t a bought it”.
 
Oldmanb777 said:
I've seen some competent pilots @90. Could they have the stamina to fly 80+ hard time hours per month, probably not. But if they stay practiced, a several hour flight is entirely doable. For some its not doable at 30 yrs old. Everyone is different. some of the insidious reduction in what you are capable of is largely made up by experience. As said, your body usually gives up before your brain.
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Hence why in retirement I still do aeronautical engineering consulting work. Got to keep the synapses firing!
 
There are a few netjets pilots over the age of 80. No mandatory retirement age for them….yet.
 
Shepherd said:
I have a built in decision tree.
Can I start the airplane?
Yes ... ......... No
Keep flying............ Time to hang it up.

Dang. It edits out the spaces.
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or the corollary.... Can I still get in and out of the airplane! o_O
 
pmanton said:
I'm pushing 84 and have 2 simple airplanes. A PA-22 and a Forney F-1. I'll tell you it's a real chore just climbing on a ladder to refuel the Tri-Pacer. I need a stool to climb up on the wing of the Forney. I'm an IA and doing the annuals takes me forever! That said, I'm going to keep at it at least until the next IA renewal. That will be 3/23. Even though I just fly around the patch from time to time I ain't ready to throw in the towel yet. :p
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As they say in Texasss..... Bless your heart!
 
Hot Damn! A friend on Facebook just asked "So, how long do you think it will be before you give up your driver's license?" My answer was, "Quite some time. After all, without it how would I get to the airplanes I fly?"

More seriously, I hope I recognize it when I see it but I don't think in terms of a target age at all. We are all individuals with different degrees of health and mental well-being and while the aging process by its nature involves degradation of functions, the rate at which it happens can be very different for different people. We know, for example the average US life expectancy is 79. I live in a community in which those digits are reversed.

One recommendation I did take to heart a few years ago. A pilot-physician gave a talk on the aging process in pilots. One thing it led to for me was a rededication to using checklists (not just flows) in all phases of flight as a crosscheck on the natural effects of aging memory.
 
It’s sure funny being the same age as “old people”.

I figure to fly until I can’t, but hope that’s a good ways away.

I take my motorcycle regularly to the racetrack and ride in the “A” group (*) with the young hotshots. (it’s fun to have gray hair under the helmet).

I try to keep myself challenged in my job as well as volunteer work.

Looking forward to a productive next few decades.
 
Brad W said:
ever noticed that whenever you get behind someone driving super slow that very often it's the stereo type old lady behind the wheel...or sometimes it's someone with a handicapped parking permit
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Nope. It's usually some knothead trying to navigate a menu on their "smart" phone.
 
Clip4 said:
The theme I see with men as they get older is what I call the “when I get better mentality”. As you age you lose both mental and physical ability. You need to recognize the lose and more importantly recognize you aren’t going to get better. Make adjustments and accept more simple missions and machines.
Click to expand...
That's a good way to die faster or live miserably. When you give up, then what's the point? Fine for you, but I'm going out kicking!
 
Groundpounder said:
There are a few netjets pilots over the age of 80. No mandatory retirement age for them….yet.
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To review: after age 59 pilots are not permitted to act as pilot-in-command on international flights. Unless, of course, something bad happens to all other pilots on board. Also, if your co-pilot is younger than 60, then you can act as pilot-in-command as long as you are under 65.
 
brien23 said:
To review: after age 59 pilots are not permitted to act as pilot-in-command on international flights. Unless, of course, something bad happens to all other pilots on board. Also, if your co-pilot is younger than 60, then you can act as pilot-in-command as long as you are under 65.
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Is that for 91 or 135? I forget.
 
Conversation at Oshkosh with someone selling a beautiful polished C-170 - "Yeah Dad's getting to old to fly." - Q - "Still Drives?" -- A- "No." - Q- "What went first? Driving or flying?" --- A - "Hmmmm ---- Driving."

My conclusion - Flying is not a reflexes thing as much as a judgement thing.
 
Rgbeard said:
It’s sure funny being the same age as “old people”.
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Funny to you maybe....:lol::lol:

There used to be a guy that hung around the airport. He was in his mid 80s and still liked to fly. But only with another pilot. He was a B-17 A/C commander in the war, then became a B-29 A/C commander but got to his over seas base just in time for that war to end. He was at Roswell during that time. He told us it was no secret, the hangar doors weren't even locked much less guards. He did have some interesting stories to tell.

When he flew, he flew. From engine start up to shut down. And never wore glasses.
 
Brad W said:
I think that most folks tend to subconsciously slow down to their ability. Just like old folks being super critical of "reckless teenagers" driving fast and weaving.... sometimes they are applying their own paradigm of someone that needs to slow down...
Click to expand...

The problem is when the speed you need to slow down to is below the stall speed if your aircraft...
 
I figure when I can't remember the code to the entrance gate, the code to the hangar, or which aircraft in the hangar is mine ... it's time to give it up.
 
Zeldman said:
Funny to you maybe....:lol::lol:

There used to be a guy that hung around the airport. He was in his mid 80s and still liked to fly. But only with another pilot. He was a B-17 A/C commander in the war, then became a B-29 A/C commander but got to his over seas base just in time for that war to end. He was at Roswell during that time. He told us it was no secret, the hangar doors weren't even locked much less guards. He did have some interesting stories to tell.

When he flew, he flew. From engine start up to shut down. And never wore glasses.
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I had a friend back in Denver who got his private when he was 67. At a certain point, around 80, he decided he would not fly alone anymore. He connected with a young CFI and they flew together every week. Good relationship for both of them.
 
It really is an individual call. Shortly after getting my private, I got checked out in a 152 at another airport by a CFI who was around 90. He looked maybe 80. Had a very low number pilot cert (I'll have look that up). Taught me more in 10 minutes about doing power-on stalls and good rudder use than I had during all of my private lessons. I hope I can recognize when it is time to hang it up, and I have promised to friends and my wife that if they see me losing it, I won't be stubborn, I'll hang it up.
 
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