How old is too old to fly?

"John Harper" wrote in message
news:1078539061.302433@sj-nntpcache-3...
Geez, that's quite a tear-jerker.


I am sure there is a great Country/Western song in there somewhere.

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

"R. Hubbell" wrote in message
news:20040305195829.58d125dd@fstop...
On Fri, 05 Mar 2004 20:49:14 GMT "Roger Tracy"
wrote:

I think once they get over 50 or so .. they shouldn't be flying.


Over 50 what? Over 50 BFRs? That's a reasonable cut-off!

After 50 years of flying... if you start (like I did) at 40. I still have
another 45 years to go! ;-)

Or Blues maybe? How about a r.a.p Blues Lyrics
competition...

Run up this mornin
Left mag gone bad
Yeah run up this mornin
That bad old mag he go bad

Take off dis mornin
My AI don't show no sky
Yeah take off dis mornin
That old AI ain't showin no sky

Spin in dis mornin

....OK, OK, I'll stick to the day job.

John

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

"John Harper" wrote in message
news:1078539061.302433@sj-nntpcache-3...
Geez, that's quite a tear-jerker.


I am sure there is a great Country/Western song in there somewhere.

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

I think once they get over 50 or so .. they shouldn't be flying.

Next time you fly United or American, ask the captain how old he is.

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

Once your BFR runs over 10 hours and
you still haven't got those steep turns and stalls to private pilot
standards, you will know.

Yes, that would certainly work for me.

Indeed, if it ran into the SECOND hour, I would start to worry.

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

C J Campbell wrote:

I am sure there is a great Country/Western song in there somewhere.

Naw. You didn't have one word in there about mother, or rain, or pickup trucks,
or getting drunk, or prison, or railroad trains. :-)

"Oh I was drunk the day my Ma got out of prison ......"

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.

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