How would we feel if aircraft certification had no load limit requirements? You wouldn’t know if it had been tested to +3.8/-1.52 only that the wings haven’t come off yet and the airplane is pretty well maintained? Would anyone have a problem continuing on after a jolt of clear air turbulence made you wonder just how strong it is? Or should regulations like age limits, be more like max demonstrated crosswinds and take on the role of test pilot 10 feet off the ground?
There are convincing arguments for moving the retirement age chains down the field, but if the FAA is as committed to safety as they would like us to believe, there’s got to be testing to prove that safety can be maintained.