
18/09/2025
I’m about to turn 65. For 36 years, I’ve been an airline pilot. I’m not a genius, not a NASA engineer — just an average guy who loves flying.
For 25 years, I flew the Boeing 767. But at 64, I faced something new: learning to fly the most advanced passenger aircraft in service today — the Airbus A350.
The problem? The A350 is nothing like a Boeing. Its systems, philosophy, and controls are completely different. The training manual alone is 7,000 pages long. Add to that weeks of simulators, endless videos, oral exams, and complex check rides. Younger pilots were struggling. And I was the oldest pilot ever to attempt Delta’s A350 training. Many said: “It can’t be done, old guy.”
BU****IT.
I went through the training and found it no harder than when I trained on the MD-11 back in 1991 — at age 34. My ability to learn hadn’t declined in 30 years. I aced the program, and it reminded me of something important:
Age doesn’t define your ability to learn.
Some people peak at 30. Some at 60. Some keep learning into their 90s.
Don’t assume. Don’t count people out because of age. Many older folks are just as sharp — or sharper — than you think.
And one day, when you’re older too, you’ll be grateful if people treat you with dignity and respect. ✈️✨