I've never said fully autonomous passenger aircraft are right around the corner - I figure about 50 years
Thats still "around the corner" in aviation terms. You seem to have missed the point entirely. The A320 and B737 are still the biggest sellers and they are 40-60 years old in terms of when the design process started. With your example of the A350 and 787 they will still be on the production line by the turn of the century. A 20 year old F/O will be 100 and probably have finished his/her career on a 350 or 787.