Abstract
In military as well as civilian aviation the age of the pilot is a major factor which determines whether or not the individual is allowed to continue flying. Due to a number of factors, such as legal considerations, escalating personnel and training costs, and higher skill levels which are necessitated by increasing equipment complexity, a great deal of interest has been generated in the development of “age free” criteria to determine continued suitability for aviation duty. Central to this issue is a demonstration that older pilots are not necessarily unsafe pilots. Data from the Naval Safety Center concerning mishap rates and causal factors as they relate to the age of the pilot as well as the implications of these findings for present policies are discussed.
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