Suzanna Darcy-Hennemann has taken a Boeing 777-200LR jetliner above 30,000 feet and let it stall, testing whether it can recover without a precipitous drop. She has put it into a dive, approaching the speed of sound. Soon, while accelerating down the runway, she'll shut one of the two engines to test that the jet can still take off safely.
How's that for a dream job at 52?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2002260892_testpilot03.html