I worked as a commercial airline pilot for over 17 years and just recently, I reached the age of 60. I am outraged at the blatant age discrimination that continues to be perpetrated by the FAA. Both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the AARP agree that the Age 60 Rule is a biased, unfair regulation that effectively deprives the flying public of some of the best pilots that our country has to offer.

Senator Inhofe and I have worked for several Congresses to pass legislation that will extend the mandatory pilot retirement age beyond 60. In the current Congress, our legislation would repeal that rule and allow pilots to remain in the cockpit until they reach the age at which they can receive their full Social Security retirement benefits. This comes down to basic fairness.

Current FAA regulations require commercial airline pilots to leave the cockpit five years before most are even eligible to receive the Social Security benefits that they are entitled to. These pilots are only asking that they be able to continue to work in the field that they have trained for and worked in their whole lives until they can get their Social Security benefits. I certainly do not think that this is too much to ask. Especially since there is absolutely no proof to show that a pilot is any less capable at age 59 than they are at age 60.

In fact, several studies have shown that older pilots have better safety records than their younger colleagues and that pilots 60 years or older tend to be healthier than their cohorts in the population at large. In addition, 65-year-old pilots would still have to go through the same rigorous testing and training that 25-year-old pilots do. This includes flight physicals twice a year and an EKG heart test every year. Unsafe pilots will be detected and relieved of duty, no matter what age, and safe pilots should be allowed to continue to fly, period.

The FAA’s Age 60 Rule is an ancient relic of a bygone era in which one airline, seeking relief from a labor dispute, curried political favor and forced the implementation of a rule which served to shove its older pilots out of their jobs.

It is time for this rule to be overturned and for the United States to provide the same opportunities as most industrialized nations. We can look overseas and in the sky right above our very heads for proof that this rule is outdated and serves no safety purpose whatsoever.

Over 50 countries allow their commercial airline pilots to fly past the age of 60, including Canada, Australia, Israel, Japan, and 31 European countries. Furthermore, the FAA allows these foreign pilots to fly into and over our country. On top of that, the FAA’s own pilots are allowed to fly past their 60th birthday.

If foreign and FAA pilots are good enough to fly the friendly skies past their 60th birthday, than our own commercial pilots should be able to do so as well.

In closing, I want to reiterate that my legislation, H.R. 65, and Senator Inhofe’s bill S. 65, do not in any way require pilots to work past the age of 60 or require airlines to rehire any pilot that had to retire already due to the rule.

Our bills simply bring fairness to our pilots by closing the gap between their forced retirement and their ability to collect Social Security.

In a time of failing pensions and soaring passenger numbers, we only want to allow our pilots to provide for their families and retire with dignity.

Again, I thank the chairman and ranking member for allowing me to speak to your committee today and it is my hope that we can repeal this discriminatory rule as soon as possible.