How old is too old to fly?

This may sound like a wild tale, so I'm donning the flame suit. My
uncle was an active CFI into his early 90's. For a time he was the
oldest active pilot in the U.S.A. There were several write ups in the
OKC paper about him over his life. Once, as a child he helped Charles
Lindberg push his airplane out of a muddy field. Late in his life he
attended a reunion at CHK where he'd been a civilian flight instructor
during WWII. Many of his students were on the field. They couldn't
believe it when he landed his own airplane and walked up to them,
several years their senior when they themselves were in their late
70's and 80's. He sold his last airplane, (a Skylane) when he was 96.
He passed away at 99. Moral of the story... never, never, ever sell
your airplane.

p.s. Disclaimer: I'm not suggesting anyone fly this late in their
life! This is just one data point.

Joe Schneider
Cherokee 8437R


"R. Hubbell" wrote in message
news:20040305083821.7b5873a9@fstop...
With the recent talk about diving and flying and personal
limitations
I wonder how older pilots feel about their own abilities to keep
fresh
and when do you hang up the wings? Or do you just limit your flying
and take it easier as long as the medical is good?

I'm sure there's a point when passengers start saying "well
yeah I'd love to go flying but I have to water the lawn".

I'll be happy to be old and flying solo as long as a I can
do it safely. Just not sure if I'll be the best judge of
my safe flying when I'm on the tail end of my years.


I started thinking about this while driving with an old friend.
He didn't notice that he was lane-wandering, while other drivers
did notice. Otherwise he is a safe driver, just not as precise
I suppose.

R. Hubbell

Stop by Moore-Murrell Airport in Morristown TN and ask "Mamma Bird" this
question. She Was born Nov. 4, 1909. At 94 she has a current medical. BTW
she is an instructor if you happen to need a BFR or a lesson or something...
"JJS" jschneider@REMOVE SOCKSpldi.net wrote in message
...
This may sound like a wild tale, so I'm donning the flame suit. My
uncle was an active CFI into his early 90's. For a time he was the
oldest active pilot in the U.S.A. There were several write ups in the
OKC paper about him over his life. Once, as a child he helped Charles
Lindberg push his airplane out of a muddy field. Late in his life he
attended a reunion at CHK where he'd been a civilian flight instructor
during WWII. Many of his students were on the field. They couldn't
believe it when he landed his own airplane and walked up to them,
several years their senior when they themselves were in their late
70's and 80's. He sold his last airplane, (a Skylane) when he was 96.
He passed away at 99. Moral of the story... never, never, ever sell
your airplane.

p.s. Disclaimer: I'm not suggesting anyone fly this late in their
life! This is just one data point.

Joe Schneider
Cherokee 8437R


"R. Hubbell" wrote in message
news:20040305083821.7b5873a9@fstop...
With the recent talk about diving and flying and personal
limitations
I wonder how older pilots feel about their own abilities to keep
fresh
and when do you hang up the wings? Or do you just limit your flying
and take it easier as long as the medical is good?

I'm sure there's a point when passengers start saying "well
yeah I'd love to go flying but I have to water the lawn".

I'll be happy to be old and flying solo as long as a I can
do it safely. Just not sure if I'll be the best judge of
my safe flying when I'm on the tail end of my years.


I started thinking about this while driving with an old friend.
He didn't notice that he was lane-wandering, while other drivers
did notice. Otherwise he is a safe driver, just not as precise
I suppose.

R. Hubbell

I read a blurb in this morning's paper about age and cognitive ability.
It stated that tests have shown that as a person ages, his/her ability
to perform multiple tasks simultaneously diminishes. (Time to complete
the tasks increase.)
The example given is to stand on one foot while saying the alphabet
backwards.
Sounds like a test with a prize to be awarded at this summer's
rec.aviation.piloting party at AirVenture. Practice up if you plan to
attend. There will be a weighted point system depending on the beverage,
it's alcohol content and volume consumed prior to testing.

I got my certificate at 68. I had a lot of hours, thus demonstrating
that it is more difficult to learn motor skills in your seventh
decade. So I reckon it must also be more difficult to maintain them.

I am now 72 and recently passed my biennial flight check and medical,
so I am good to go till 74 at least. I have seen nothing to indicate
that I would be a danger to myself or others. However, I almost never
take passengers. For one thing, I enjoy flying by myself; it's part of
the mystique. But mostly I don't think I should subject the innocent
to the hazard--which, because I am a pilot, I know to be greater than
they assume.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Cub Driver wrote:
I got my certificate at 68. I had a lot of hours, thus demonstrating
that it is more difficult to learn motor skills in your seventh
decade. So I reckon it must also be more difficult to maintain them.
I am now 72 and recently passed my biennial flight check and medical,
so I am good to go till 74 at least. I have seen nothing to indicate
that I would be a danger to myself or others. However, I almost never
take passengers. For one thing, I enjoy flying by myself; it's part of
the mystique. But mostly I don't think I should subject the innocent
to the hazard--which, because I am a pilot, I know to be greater than
they assume.

Dan, I thought the FAA revised the timeline for medical certificates to
the following:

16-39 three years
40-70 two years
70-75 one year
75-?? six months

Dan, I thought the FAA revised the timeline for medical certificates to
the following:

16-39 three years
40-70 two years
70-75 one year
75-?? six months

I just Googled this subject and got this:

Class 3 medical certificates are for private pilot duties only. They
have the least restrictive medical requirements and the certificates
are generally good for 3 years for applicants under age 40 and 2 years
for those 40 and over.

And the back of my cert still says "24 or 36 months".




all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (requires authentication)

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Fella used to bring a pretty looking C-195 into our field for the annuals...
Last time I saw him do that he was 81 or 82, as I remember... Wonder if
I'll even be around then, much less be able to handle a ship like that in a
crosswind......
denny - 6 decades of banging around airports...

"Cub Driver" wrote in

Dennis O'Connor wrote:

I'll even be around then, much less be able to handle a ship like that in a
crosswind......

Handling a 195 in a crosswind is a piece of cake compared to taxiing it on the
ground. You can't see a thing around that big Jacobs. Your ground track looks
like a spastic snake made it.

George Patterson
A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that
you look forward to the trip.

There's two major differences...

1. A little bit of lane swerving VFR at 150kts and 6500' is probably not
going to hurt anyone. Even on a 100' wide runway in a single-engine
plane, there won't be anyone in the lane next to you if you swerve a
bit...

The same may not hold true of at 50MPH on a 2-lane "highway".

2. Pilots can't go more than a couple of years without having a doctor
and an instructor verify their continued ability to fly.

The same does not hold true of automobile licenses.




R. Hubbell wrote in
news:20040305083821.7b5873a9@fstop:

With the recent talk about diving and flying and personal limitations
I wonder how older pilots feel about their own abilities to keep fresh
and when do you hang up the wings? Or do you just limit your flying
and take it easier as long as the medical is good?

I'm sure there's a point when passengers start saying "well
yeah I'd love to go flying but I have to water the lawn".

I'll be happy to be old and flying solo as long as a I can
do it safely. Just not sure if I'll be the best judge of
my safe flying when I'm on the tail end of my years.


I started thinking about this while driving with an old friend.
He didn't notice that he was lane-wandering, while other drivers
did notice. Otherwise he is a safe driver, just not as precise
I suppose.

R. Hubbell

R. Hubbell wrote in
news:20040305083821.7b5873a9@fstop:

With the recent talk about diving and flying and personal limitations
I wonder how older pilots feel about their own abilities to keep fresh
and when do you hang up the wings? Or do you just limit your flying
and take it easier as long as the medical is good?

I'm sure there's a point when passengers start saying "well
yeah I'd love to go flying but I have to water the lawn".

I'll be happy to be old and flying solo as long as a I can
do it safely. Just not sure if I'll be the best judge of
my safe flying when I'm on the tail end of my years.

Remember the 80 year-old Citation pilot who ditched his plane in the lake in
Washington last year? Man...80 years old and doing SP in a Citation and
performing a ditching that would do someone half his age proud.


I started thinking about this while driving with an old friend.
He didn't notice that he was lane-wandering, while other drivers
did notice.

Those who noticed were the ones whose lane he intruded into.

Otherwise he is a safe driver, just not as precise
I suppose.

I'd say if he can't keep it in his own lane, he's NOT a safe driver.