Inside a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight deck at the Farnborough Airshow [Credit: AirlineGeeks/William Derrickson]
Key Takeaways:
FAA nominee Bryan Bedford advocates for raising the mandatory airline pilot retirement age beyond 65, deeming the current limit "arbitrary" and stressing the value of experienced pilots.
The proposal to raise the retirement age to 67 previously failed in a Senate committee and faces strong opposition from industry groups, including the largest pilots union, ALPA.
Raising the retirement age is complicated by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, as a higher age could restrict older pilots from flying international widebody routes.
Despite international hurdles, Bedford believes it is "absolutely possible" to align with ICAO standards to allow for an increased pilot retirement age.
The Senate Commerce Committee held its confirmation hearing for Bedford on Wednesday, where he was pressed on whether legislators should raise the retirement age.
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Ryan is Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group, overseeing a portfolio that includes FLYING, AirlineGeeks, AVweb, Plane + Pilot, KITPLANES, and AircraftForSale.com. He founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has more than a decade of experience across aviation media, airport operations, airline workforce planning, and Part 135 regulatory compliance. His experience ranges from time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing aviation industry executives. Ryan holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and is an adjunct instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
