Yup!  That's ageism and that's opening a whole can of worms. Each person is different and the only reasonable criteria is physical and mental ability NOT age.  Enough is enough when the pilot no longer has the faculties to be a safe pilot. If that comes at 50 or 90 it really makes no difference.

 

Please don't paint everyone with the same brush.

 

Vic

Without a doubt Vic!

.....you can swing this thought in the exact opposite direction....for example:

How old was Sully when he became notable for a little dip in the Hudson?

Then there was the pilot who brought a fully loaded 747 back to PHNL in pitch black darkness with a cargo door and some of the fuse missing...on only the #1 and 2 engines?  If I recall he was forced to retire in a few months because he was hitting 60.

 

Experience over youth in the cockpit...I'll take those 2 pilots at the controls of any plane I'm on all day long!  If they can pass the FAA medical (which is more than just physical fitness), they're ok by me.

 Again not true. I have friend who was forced to retire at 65 (due to FAA regulation for passengers ops). Right after that he was hired by Air Inidia where he flew as captain of 777 for couple years. Now he is back in state  works as instructor for Citiation recurrent training 

 

No Idea , just searched for DGCA age limit and it said 65.

 

"DGCA professional pilot age limit" Google search and this is what I got :

 

"28A. Maximum age limit for professional pilots. – (1) No person, holding a pilot's license issued under these rules and having attained the age of sixty-five years, shall act as Pilot-in-Command or Co-pilot of an aircraft engaged in commercial air transport operations."   

 

Maybe they changed it now . i don't know what the 28A rules are.

No Idea , just searched for DGCA age limit and it said 65.

 

"DGCA professional pilot age limit" Google search and this is what I got :

 

"28A. Maximum age limit for professional pilots. – (1) No person, holding a pilot's license issued under these rules and having attained the age of sixty-five years, shall act as Pilot-in-Command or Co-pilot of an aircraft engaged in commercial air transport operations."   

 

Maybe they changed it now . i don't know what the 28A rules are.

 

I know nothing about  DGCA. What I know; however, that Air India  did not have enough qualified pilots so they have to contract foreigners. Chuck was hired to fly 777 as a captain.

Approach photo:

 

 

Apparently, he was intending to land on the smaller, light gray-colored runway 20L, which is over to the left of the much larger and dark-colored runway 20R. Taxiway C is just to the left of 20L and the same color as the runway, although narrower. 

 

I'm not going to say that this wasn't an error, but you can see how it's the kind of thing that might even trip up a pilot with a less famous name. That 20L is a VFR runway and could use better markings.

 

I'm sure the difference between runway and taxi way would be much easier to discern in a high resolution image, and certainly in person.  But that aside, he flew over the top of a commercial jet on his approach!  Even if he thought it was a legitimate runway, there's no way he should have ever done that.  Everything I know about piloting (which isn't much, admittedly) tells me that you ask for a go-around when there is an obstacle in your flight path.

Use to be until a few years ago Rwy19L and Rwy 19R and coming in from the west with a nice Santa Ana wind Rwy 01R, and Rwy 01L, but like a lot of airports they occasionally get changed because of the change in the earth magnetic field. I flew into Las Vegas at dawn many years ago and heard the tower tell a guy, "Hey Nxxxx you just landed on a taxi way, so it does happen!

According to is Wiki - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Ford, he keeps his aircraft at Santa Monica which is not too far from John Wayne.  I would think he is familiar with the airports in the region and this is not his first landing at John Wayne.

http://www.airsafe.com/events/celebs/ford.htm

 

3 incidents.  Every one of them has a logical explanation, but that number seems somewhat excessive to me.

Not sure this recording is the correct one.  All other reports indicate he was cleared to land on 20L and that he instead landed on Taxiway C.  In this recording someone is cleared for 1L and the airliner reports he's at Bravo Delta.  None of this fits.

 

Scott

 

 

This...

really ?

Definitely. I mean this guy piloted the Millennium Falcon. What more proof do you need?  :wink:

It's enough to make one believe Chewie was the real pilot after all...

It's enough to make one believe Chewie was the real pilot after all...

I know, right? I've been saying it for years and no one would believe me.

For those criticizing the old pilots....This guy is still flying on his 89th Birthday, goes for a solo flight

 

Thanks Matt.  I needed that... :smile:

Thanks Matt.  I needed that... :smile:

 

I admire him as well. Certainly he was not holding a licence. Last time he flew was on his 88th birthday and at that time he went dual. I am fairly certain this was his last flight ever as he has since passed away.

 

Amazing to see the joy of flight in him one last time, and in such a spur of the moment event

I'm not going to say that this wasn't an error, but you can see how it's the kind of thing that might even trip up a pilot with a less famous name. That 20L is a VFR runway and could use better markings.

Actually if you look at much sharper image of the area (yours is very fuzzy) the runway 20L is well marked and there is a very distinctive displaced threshold, numbers are also very clearly visible, etc. To make such a mistake is worrisome - specially if you are flying a superbly slow aircraft like Aviat Husky - you have so much time to verify everything 10 times over. I have done a lot of VFR flying and have my share of stupid mistakes but this one is a stand-out, clear weather, daytime, slow aircraft, well marked runway threshold, he lands on much narrower taxiway (!!) and holding jetliner gives him no spatial clues (?!), etc. I admire Harrison Ford but he should do some sole searching what in the heck he is doing, apparently he flies some much more serious airplanes (including jets) - I doubt I would like to share ride with him.