Let Experienced Pilots Fly
NOTAM #27
“EXPERIENCE MATTERS”
December 23, 2025
This update includes:
- The Holiday Break
- DC Meetings
- Allies
**On behalf of the LEPF Board of Directors, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to you and your families.
As we head into another year where the US Congress has failed to end the discriminatory policy that began in 1959, forcing healthy, qualified, and highly experienced pilots out of their chosen private sector jobs, we continue the fight.
Congress is now in recess and re-convenes January 5th, where we will continue our efforts to end this age discriminating law, and ensure a basic American right to provide for our families in the profession of our choice, and to end the government’s ability to force us out of our right to work.
As late as Friday December 19th, our team was meeting with key legislators in DC. We are as committed as ever to seeing this through, as we are in the planning stages of an early 2026 DC Fly-in, under the expectation that we will have a bill in the Senate in the early weeks of January. Once we have bills in both Chambers, House and Senate, we will organize a fly-in to meet with member offices and recruit legislation cosponsors and supporters.
This is what we have been told and what we are basing our plans on, and thus informing you.
**As a follow-up to LEPF President Capt. Barry Kendrick’s meetings in Washington D.C. and discussions with Senator Graham’s staff, we feel the (LEPF) “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act” re-introduction is imminent once Congress re-convenes in January.
Additionally, meetings with new members of the Senate Commerce Committee, Senators Curtis and Sheehy also yielded commitments on their support to eliminate/raise the age. They were briefed on the history thus far, in an effort to give them a full view of the facts, running counter to the union’s political misinformation campaign.
There are various other conversations taking place in order to ensure we have covered every contingency during deliberations within the House and Senate Committees.
**Our allies, such as AARP and RAA are briefed and waiting for the bill so they can weigh in their support of eliminating/raising the age.
We also have various other allies that are working with us to develop social media awareness and written pleas to Congress to eliminate/raise the age.
The LEPF board is keenly aware of the frustration you feel, as we all watch our fellow pilots reaching their 65th birthday every day, and your sense of being dragged along in this process. It is exactly that: “a process” that we are intimately involved in and has been a source of frustration for us, as well.
We will not be deterred or distracted from our mission statement and our resolve to right this wrong is stronger than ever.
There is no better investment into your financial future than helping us help you. We are all unpaid volunteers, some of us already retired, but passionate about our work. We need your financial contributions to get this over the line.
Please contribute HERE
Thank you for your continued support.
We will start the new year with a full court legislative press.
- Expected Senate bill reintroduction
- Continued support and gathering cosponsors for H.R.5523, Congressman Nehls legislation to raise the pilot retirement age
- Continuing to push for the confirmation of a US ICAO Ambassador to ensure the US is involved in conversations to raise the age internationally
The burden of proof should be on the agencies that restrict the pilot license privileges at a certain age, to justify why they do so, because EXPERIENCE MATTERS!
In Unity,
Let Experienced Pilots Fly