"Do i give up the flying dream for a good reality?"

It's pretty easy to bash the career in this day and age. The career tends to swing with the economy and age 65 probably isn't helping. If you think you'd have a shot at 100K plus job down the road and you enjoy the flying, then I'd stick with it. If you feel like it will never be worth taking the chance or worth the sacrifice, then it's best to get out.

Congratz on having a solid plan B.