Mandatory retirement is age 56, by federal law. Age 56, minus a 25-year career, gets you to 31 as the max hiring age. The career does take a mental/physical toll on us. The shorter service requirements for a full pension reflect that. Some reading material here: apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA... - ThreadSky

rustysunshine.bsky.social • 16 days ago

Mandatory retirement is age 56, by federal law. Age 56, minus a 25-year career, gets you to 31 as the max hiring age.

The career does take a mental/physical toll on us. The shorter service requirements for a full pension reflect that.

Some reading material here:

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA460056.pdf

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rustysunshine.bsky.social•16 days ago

That said, we don't suffer a lack of applicants due to age barriers. Tens of thousands of people apply each time there's a hiring announcement. The issue is the bottlenecks that occur during initial training at the FAA academy, or at the first facility. Staffing dictates how much training can occur.

rustysunshine.bsky.social•16 days ago

Last week, I worked a shift that started with eight controllers (guideline number is eleven for the shift). Four trainees were also on the shift, needing training. My area has seven sectors. Also, someone had to work the Controller In Charge position, since the supervisor called off...

rustysunshine.bsky.social•16 days ago

That kind of shift happens multiple times a week at my facility. FAA academy staffing has been just as dismal.

From our perspective, it's easy to see where the pain points are, and they don't have anything to do with how old someone is when they apply.

chasingray.bsky.social•16 days ago

Thank you for sharing all this!

rustysunshine.bsky.social•16 days ago

You're welcome! It's been frustrating for me lately, because yes, there's a big spotlight on my career field. Great! However, in many cases, the nuance is being lost, and we're left with headlines full of inaccuracies, rumors, and outright lies. I try to provide real-time information where I can :)

chasingray.bsky.social•16 days ago

Much appreciated and I totally feel your pain on this.

rustysunshine.bsky.social•16 days ago

I bet you do, considering how long you've been an aviation journalist.

I try to consider how long it's taken me to learn what I've learned, and to show some grace to those folks who don't know those things. Lord knows it's difficult sometimes, though 🙃

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