William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare All the world's a Stage
(from As You Like It) )

• All the world's a stage, And all the men and
  women merely players They have their exits and
  their entrances And one man in his time plays
  many parts, His acts being seven ages.

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The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slipper'd
pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on
side, His youthful hose, well saved, a world
too wide For his shrunk shank and his big manly
voice, Turning again toward childish treble,
pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of
all, That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans
teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
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The ageing Pilot
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Number of Pilots By Age USA
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Average Age of Pilots USA
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Some Thoughts

• Im slowing down
• I keep gaining weight as I get older
• Im not as strong as I used to be
• My memory isnt good anymore
• My body is aching
• Im getting too old for this
• Im getting older (I am helpless)

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Ageing

• The human lifespan is increasing
• The burden of absolute morbidity increasing
• Ageing is irreversible and genetic
• There is nothing the individual can do
• We need more cures for disease and ageing
• Drug/therapy/genetic manipulation may be
• discovered for disease and ageing eventually

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John M Miller Died in June 2008 aged 102Still
flying aged 101
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Aging Pilots SolutionsWhy look at this
issue?What are characteristics of aging
workers?Is this a safety issue?What can you
do?
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Physical Changes

• Strength and range of movements
• Posture and balance
• Sleep regulation / prostate problems
• Thermoregulation
• Vision
• Auditory

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Strength and Motion

• Lose about 20 of strength
• Older workers can do the same tasks but they
• may be working closer to their maximum.
• Hydraulics failure ?
• Asymmetric flying ?
• Loss of flexibility such as reduced neck motion
• Lookout ?

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Posture and Balance

• More difficult to maintain good posture
• and balance
• Solution is to pay attention to cockpit comfort
  and general ergonomics

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Sleep Regulation
Affects both length and quality Disruptions
are frequent more noticeable More affected
by light and noise
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Sleep Regulation

• Solutions
• More time between extended shifts
• Awareness of issue effects of fatigue
• Cockpit temperature control
• Keep tasks interesting

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Vision

• Peripheral vision
• Visual acuity both near (Presbyopia) and
  distance
• Depth perception
• Contrast sensitivity
• Cataracts
• Changes more obvious when combined
• with poor lighting and glare

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Age and Hearing
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Auditory

• Unable to hear higher frequencies Presbycusis
  and NIHL
• Difficult to pick out one voice or sound in a
• noisy environment
• Can affect how verbal instructions are heard

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Cognitive Skills

• Learn differently
• Based on what they already know
• Past experience with training and education
• Some studies report that they may learn
• slower (??) but show no difference in
• performance/accuracy once material is learned

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Cognitive Skills

• Fluid intelligence declines
• inductive reasoning, selective attention, dual
  task activities, vigilance and information
  processing.
• Crystallised intelligence, verbal tasks
• and vocabulary remains the same or
• improves.

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Evidence for Age Related Pilot Performance
Decrement

• No good accident data to support age limit
• Sudden incapacitation remains unlikely and is
  mitigated by presence of co-pilot
• No clear relationship between age, cognitive
  function and pilot performance

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Aerospace Medical Association

• August 2004
• On viewing the existing evidence, the AMA
  concludes there is insufficient medical evidence
  to support restriction of pilot certification
  based on age alone.
• Current International Situation
• Move from 60 y 65 y old limits for ATPL

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What Can You Do as the Flying Instructor / Flight
Examiner ?

• Look for Problems with
• General Mobility
• Strength
• Vision
• Hearing
• Cognition

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The Last Resort
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The Last Resort
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Questions ?
Tzanfleuron Glacier Switzerland 11000 ft