AGE 65 RULE AND THE DEMAND FOR PILOTS (http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/avflash/2261-full.html#206963) The FAA raised the mandatory retirement age for pilots from 60 to 65 on Dec., 13, 2007, which means affected pilots will be forced into retirement this year, while some forecasters see growing demand just around the corner. Boeing forecasts that the industry will need more than 460,000 new pilots to meet worldwide demand between now and 2031. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to absorb roughly 40 percent of that demand, but Boeing predicts that almost 70,000 new pilots will be needed in North America. And the confluence of an erosion of the active pilot population, the dawn of growing demand, and more stringent pilot training requirements (expected by 2013) has the FAA's director of flight services concerned.
