Sully is someone I’d want flying my plane, and for all I know, he and others like him have. Unfortunately for me and for you, he has been spending his time lately in courtrooms instead of cockpits, defending his right to work to those who, if they had their way, would be cheering his pending retirement. FULL ARTICLE
Source link: http://blog.mises.org/9942/is-sully-too-old-to-fly/
Is Sully Too Old to Fly?
Previous post: Never-Ending Government Lies About Markets
Next post: Obama on Illusory Wealth
{ 8 comments }
Right off the bat: “That this maneuver even succeeded is miraculous.”
Please stop that. No, it’s not. It’s just a human standard of performance (this is manifestly obvious: a man did it) to which everyone else can and should aspire.
Beyond all that, the touchstone case in this matter is the legendary Bob Hoover, whose FAA license was pulled in 1993. That was a travesty, illuminating everything that’s wrong with all this.
Another thing to remember is that the air transportation industry was heavily regulated up until the 70s-80s. So naturally, the market solution would never have been an option to consider (Unless you wanted to replace a permanent and certain monopoly for a temporary and uncertain one).
As an en route air traffic controller, I’m facing mandatory retirement at age 56. I can apply for an extension, but only if I haven’t had an operational error or been decertified due to an error. So, I’m 45, I’m eligible to retire in five years, and I will probably go at 56 regardless. Trust me, I don’t have the cat-like mental reflexes of twenty years ago. However, if I feel I can still be safe and not embarrass myself by over-controlling, perhaps I’ll stick around.
I think, just like older drivers, older pilots and controllers need to take a look in the mirror and be the toughest critics of their performance. There is a chance however (and I’ve seen it) that someone is going to try and stay longer than they should.
As always, a market solution would be best, letting companies weigh the risk/reward/cost/benefit of dealing with the “more seasoned” members of their workforce.
David? Is that you? Chicago ARTCC?
chris:
help me out on this one. do birds crammed in a fuselage ignite the forces of gravity? i was under the impression birds crammed in engines bring down planes. am i missing the forest for the trees?
Was Sully not at one time a young pilot leaving the military seeking a job as a pilot in the civilian world? Had the law not been in place, Sully might have chosen another line of work (or simply stayed in the military).
I’m not disagreeing at all with the premise. These kinds of laws are clearly unjust and should be abolished, not adjusted. I disagree only with the sensational, flawed example you use to support it.
Gary – Sorry, I have been away from the Internet for a week. Fuselages can often hold the engine or engines of a plane, which as apparently the case for Sullenburger’s Airbus A320.
BHudson – The law may have made a position available for him when he became a commercial airline pilot, but this does not contradict the fact that he and many other good pilots have been forced to retire when they and their passengers would have benefited from their continuing to fly. You are right, though, that Sullenberger has benefited from union membership that protects a pilot labor cartel that restricts entry and forces wages higher. This is too bad, because in many countries, pilots can fly to much older ages with no adverse effects on safety. Also, the age rules have never applied to corporate jets.
“It seems that in 1959, the aspiring pilots found a sympathetic ear in C.R. Smith, the then-president of American Airlines who also wanted to ground his older pilots.”
This is probably over simplified, but why wouldn’t C.R Smith fire his older employees to hire the young jet jocks? Why go the government mandatory retirement route? Either he was already constrained by other restrictions or he gained in comparison from his rivals. Or, the entire premise is contrived, which I can see how some people might come to that conclusion. As presented here, the ‘history’ here is a little hard to swallow. Can anyone elaborate? -thanks
Comments on this entry are closed.