The proper response to "you look too young to fly is"?

"You look too young to fly."

To Old Man: "Uncle Sam didn't care."
To Old Woman: "Not too young to date, though" (followed by wink)
To Middle-Aged Man: "You look too old to judge."
To Nervous Passenger: "Thanks for your business."
To Light-Hearted Passenger: "I couldn't afford a ticket in the back on my pilot salary."
To Middle-Aged Woman: "Not too young to date, though" (followed by wink)
To Young Man: [Smile and nod]
To Young Woman: "Then I quit. Need walked to Concourse B"?
To Young, Young Boy/Girl: "Then you go do it!" (And excitedly allow access to the flightdeck complete with Mom or Dad taking pictures!)
 
Soku39 said:
New airline pilot here, on IOE. I'm 26, but look a lot younger, so I get a lot of the too young to fly/be a pilot comments. Now I know there's an opportunity to inject some humor and wit here, but I can't quite figure out the right response. That said I'm sure ya'll have had the same thing and come up with good stuff over the years, so help me out!
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Don't worry. It doesn't last that long.
 
Was 21 at my first commuter airline job and looked 12. Wish I had a nickel for every "too young" comment I received. Time will take care of all that for you! Before you know it you'll be the old dude! College students will look 12, your doctor will be younger than you and all of a sudden you start making groaning noises when you bend over to pick something up from the floor......:(
 
Retired in SAN said:
Wait till you're on the other side of the age problem when it becomes a real issue called discrimination. A lot easier to have a job and have people poking fun at you than out of work not being able to prove whether it's discrimination or not.
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I had that exact conversation with a friend of mine tonight. We ran into each other at the neighborhood Thai restaurant picking up to-go orders. He's a smart, funny, hard-working guy but he's coming up on 60 years old. How hard do you think it is for him to find a good job at this point in life?
 
Soku39 said:
New airline pilot here, on IOE. I'm 26, but look a lot younger, so I get a lot of the too young to fly/be a pilot comments. Now I know there's an opportunity to inject some humor and wit here, but I can't quite figure out the right response. That said I'm sure ya'll have had the same thing and come up with good stuff over the years, so help me out!
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That's when you say "I've already been divorced 3 times"
 
My friend used to get that all the time. He replied with "It's okay, I have a note from my mother and I only do this after school and on weekends."
 
When I started at 24 I got that a lot. Now at 26 with a receding hairline I don't hear it hardly at all.

Give it 12 months of reserve then look at your company ID picture in the mirror. Then you'll understand.
 
I am 38 and still get that. Probably because of this:

exneophyte said:
I met a woman a while back who wanted the FAA to set the minimum hours and experience for any commercial pilot to be "commensurate with Captain Sullenberger's experience when he successfully landed in the Hudson." I told her I couldn't wait to hear her plan for how one could get to that level of experience without being able to fly for a living. Surprise, surprise...she had nothing.
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