As an airline pilot, I’m glad my congressman, U.S. Rep. Chuy García, listened to pilots, industry leaders and aviation safety experts and voted against a proposal to increase the pilot retirement age when it was recently considered in committee.
Unfortunately, other representatives made a politically driven decision to support the proposal to raise the retirement age to 67, and it proceeds to the full U.S. House of Representatives for a vote in coming weeks.
Because of international rules, pilots over 65 would not be able to fly outside of the United States. Senior pilots, who mostly fly internationally, would be forced back onto domestic flights. displacing the pilots already flying those routes, which would spark a chain reaction of pilots who must get retrained to continue flying.
Coming out of the pandemic, airlines are already suffering from a training backlog, and the added costs and time to retrain pilots would be passed directly to passengers, who could see higher fares and flight disruptions.
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As a pilot, it is my responsibility to always prioritize safety. I depend on the lawmakers who regulate this industry to share that priority. I appreciate Rep. García’s commitment to our shared responsibility for safety.
Thank you to Rep. García for voting against raising the pilot retirement age. We must continue to do everything possible to remove this provision from the final bill.
Scott Batzel, Burbank
What are our leaders doing to protect the planet — and us?
Just when you thought it was safe to go outdoors and take a deep breath, we’re suddenly reminded of how injurious smoke-filled air is to our health.
What’s more, climate change isn’t restricted to warming temps or super-sized storms and flooding. It can take many shapes and forms, just like the mopes in Congress who refuse to believe that Earth is on the brink of its demise.
Exposure to polluted air has been linked to asthma, emphysema, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer, depression, suicides, miscarriages, premature births and infant mortality.
Each year, air pollution has led to as many as 10 million deaths worldwide. Isn’t it the moral responsibility of our leaders to secure the safety and health of their nation’s population?
What’s more, isn’t it the obligation of every citizen to ask their leaders, “Are you truly engaged in the future of our planet?”
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.
Bob Ory, Elgin
