title: A 10-year retrospective review of airline transport pilots aged 60 to 63 in Japan.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  On May 14, 1991, the Japanese Ministry of Transport issued an official notice allowing medically certified airline transport pilots aged 60 to 63 yr old (aged pilot) to work on non-scheduled flights. Since September 24, 1996, the official notice was revised to allow them to work on scheduled flights. The regulation requires pilots to pass both routine and additional aviation medical examinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten years have passed since the first regulation, so the medical records and the present status of aged pilots were reviewed and summarized.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By the end of October 2000, 159 pilots had undergone their first additional examination. Two pilots failed due to coronary ischemia, two due to brain infarction, and one due to complete right bundle branch block (CRBBB) on ECG. One pilot failed the examination at the age of 62 due to coronary ischemia and another at the age of 62.5 due to atrial fibrillation. Thirteen pilots retired prior to the age of 63 for unknown reasons. At the time of review, 44 pilots had reached the age of 63 and retired. Subsequent flight time as aged pilot was 83,872 h in total (617 +/- 483 h; mean +/- SD) with monthly flight time of 41 +/- 27 h. Japan Aircraft Accident Investigation Commision reported 323 accidents, including 27 airtransport accidents in the past 10 yr. There were no accidents involving any of the aged pilots.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The review suggests that the aged pilots who are deemed medically qualified by the official notice criteria are flying safely without mishap incidence.
authors.affiliation: Japan Aeromedical Research Center, Tokyo. ymiura@aeromedical.or.jp
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Masaaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.forename: Masakatsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukumoto
authors.forename: Kouji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasue
authors.forename: Ippei
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsukui
authors.forename: Tatsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hosoya
mesh_terms: D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D010808:Physical Examination; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids