Last I checked, 60 was still the mandatory retirement age. Until that changes and ALL of the conditions have been spelled out, I wouldn't count on anything. Only if the rules get changed in the next 3 years will Tuckster have a 7 year airline career.

I'm not being pessimistic- I'm being realistic. Should things change down the road, all the better off he'll be.

I'm not saying don't go for it if it's your dream. However have realistic expectations on the process and understand that the chances of having a "full" career at the airlines (or even upgrading at a decent regional) are probably going to be difficult. Without a decent amount of PIC turbine time trying to get on at a fractional (while not impossible) will be difficult.

Like it or not, age does come into play (if only on a subconscious level) once you start to get up towards retirement, particularly when it comes to hiring people that companies are going to put a lot of money into training them.