Age ???

pmanton

pmanton

Final Approach
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How many of you are still flying in your 80's?
I just hit 85 and I think I might be done. Simple things like airing up the tires is now a major pain. (Yes I know about Leak Guard--they still leak a bit)
Doing the annual is a real turn off. (I'm an A&P IA)
My reactions sure ain't what they used to be and I just seem to have lost the motivation.
The thought of going up and boring holes is a bore.
On the other hand I'd hate to hear my neighbors taking off and kick myself for giving it up.
How about some of you old fogies chiming in?
 
Glad to hear you’re still flying,gives me a goal to go for.
 
I guess I was old enough to fly in the '80's, but didn't get my ticket until 2002.
 
Dad was flying our Cherokee after 90. (the whole time wishing he hadn't sold his 182)
 
not trying to be flippant, but be glad you're alive and medically independent enough to even be capable of PIC at the age of 85. Many of us will be dead before reaching that age, many more of us will lose our medical ability to PIC decades before our death. I almost consider this thread humblebragging.
 
The big accomplishment is getting insurance at 85!

Hanging it up is a personal decision. If you feel like you're a threat to other people, then it's probably time. Be proud of your accomplishment, and transition to a full time airport bum
 
You don't get insurance at 85. But if you already have insurance for the past 40 years, they usually won't cancle on you unless you have had some major claims. But if you cancel for any reason, like you sell your airplane, then a year or two later you get another one. Forget it.
 
Hope to be on this side of the soil at 85. There is going to be a time when we all have to give it up either by choice or by fiat.
 
Not 85, only 76, but when I lose my motivation, stop enjoying my plane, stop flying 75 hrs/yr, I will quit. I’m sure there will be times I might regret it, but it will be the right decision for me, regret’s or not. I don’t want to be the guy who hangs on too long, but the guy who has many fond memories but moves on. I don’t think there is a specific age to give it up, but I’ve seen older pilots gradually cut back on their flying for a variety of reasons. As one gets older, one needs to be flying more to maintain competency, not less.
 
Eldorado said:
Not 85, only 76, but when I lose my motivation, stop enjoying my plane, stop flying 75 hrs/yr, I will quit. I’m sure there will be times I might regret it, but it will be the right decision for me, regret’s or not. I don’t want to be the guy who hangs on too long, but the guy who has many fond memories but moves on. I don’t think there is a specific age to give it up, but I’ve seen older pilots gradually cut back on their flying for a variety of reasons. As one gets older, one needs to be flying more to maintain competency, not less.
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I'm also 76 and don't see hanging it up right away, but I do have a plan. As long as I remain competent towing gliders in the Pawnee I'll keep doing that, because I really enjoy it and love the whole atmosphere of the operation, including two or three youth camps every year. The beauty of towing is that I have constant oversight by instructors and our operation manager in case I'm slow to see a decline in performance myself, and I've already asked to be grounded if I don't see it myself. I'll keep the C206 for a few more years then sell that and keep the Cub. The Cub will likely be sold by my estate. :)

I'll hit the 50 year mark as a pilot next year, averaging 80 hours/year with no real break in the action during that time. I'll cherish the memories as long as I have a functioning brain, and it doesn't have to function at a particularly high level to do that.
 
If not already I hope the OP and others will join us in the special and elite international 'UNITED FLYING OCTOGENARIANS (UFO) Too precious a privilege to voluntarily surrender
If you serve as a PIC on or after your 80th birthday admission is yours for the duration. Google us & Keep Flying !
 
Looking forward to joining the UFO and flying well past 80
 
Just by asking the question it tells me that you are thinking critically about your limitations and if you are aware of your limitations and stay true to them then I would say you are probably safe to fly. If you feel you are not safe to fly then the answer is obvious. If you are not sure then go up with an instructor you trust to give you a honest opinion. However, if flying for you is no longer fun and something you are looking forward and is a chore then maybe it is time to give up and enjoy the great memories.
 
pmanton said:
My reactions sure ain't what they used to be and I just seem to have lost the motivation.
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Hi.
That is a big factor, and difficult to overcome.
Other options exist, find a CFI that can fly with you for free, skip all the below 30s that all they want is make money, flew with a buddy of mine into his mid 80's but he still had the desire. That may also lower your insurance, if you add them to your policy?
Another option is Flight simulators, look at XPlane11 (XP11) Demo, stay away from XP12 version, and see if that is something you may want to try?

I am not sure what area you live in but it may be a good idea for someone to start a topic to see if there are pilots in the area that may want to share their time with others?

Good luck.
 
So today I joined the auxiliary wing of the UFOs,for pilots 75 to 79. Another chance to meet like minded older pilots.
 
70 on my next birthday; reflexes are great, so is eye-hand coordination, depth perception, and cognition. Noticing some minor memory hits (why did I come in here?; what's that phrase again?) Physical flexibility and agility are certainly diminished, and recovery time is definitely longer. The curve down seems fairly linear and I'm assuming (hoping) to fly another decade. Could be wishful thinking, but humans vary so much in aging effects I just can't know, can I?

I work out with a trainer twice a week - "functional fitness" as she calls it; after 3+ years the improvement in my strength, balance, and endurance is quite noticeable.
 
A friend is mid 80s and still flies, but stays within sight of the airport

do you drive ok? I know a very unfortunate story about a 90 year old driving the wrong way on an interstate

the earlier post about finding a safety pilot is prudent
 
Interesting thread. I'm 82, fly regularly in a taildragger, last month passed a flight review in a Hughes 300 after not being current in helicopters for over 40 years. Working on a glider transition. Every human is different. I am trying to follow the Bredesen Protocol for mental health, feel great, enjoying life. I'll know when to quit, I think (hope!) and fly regularly with others. Just gave an experienced pilot a taildragger checkout in my Citabria. Activity, physical and mental, together with diet are working for me. Pretty sure with effort I could get another Class II.
 
I figure when I can't remember the gate code, the code to get into the hangar, or which plane in the hangar is mine ... it's likely time to give someone else the keys! :)
 
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