It seems that the issue is being dodged here. I've thought about this for some time, and I'd like to see some discussion.

I have friends who are getting on, and who can barely drive a car. They are still flying planes. It would seem to me that flying a plane is more difficult than driving a car. While I certainly wouldn't want someone else telling me I couldn't fly anymore, I would like to think I have the responsibility to at least fly in a manner so that no one else could be hurt if I lost control of the plane, if not the will to quit flying completely when my reflexes are dulled, and my eyesight shot.

I know this is a sensitive subject, and I don't mean to hurt anyone. I hope that I live to be an old, old man myself. But it is a fact that when you get old, your abilities start to fade. This is a fact as painful as that of our mortality. While this factor is different for different people, and there may be 90 year old pilots who are more skilled than most 40-year old pilots, if you live long enough these things will happen to you.

I'm all for freedom, and I would never support taking away someone's right to fly. I understand the media's habit of focusing on certain issues for hidden agendas, and I believe this article may be related to what I perceive as an attack on general aviation. But the issue is still valid and relevant.