I think Noel has done a noble thing. As mentioned by Helinut, it looks as though he has done a risk assessment of his experience versus ability versus age and come to his own conclusion.
I started helicopters later in life (48) and realised that it is a young pilot's profession, or game if you leave it to recreational flying. I found that you need the reflexes and mental processing of a young mind.
There are of course helicopter pilots who have such massive experience that the deterioration in processing skills with age is countered by that experience. For me, one of the sharpest pilots who gave me instruction was nearing 60 at the time, but he had masses of hours North sea, world wide you name it. And he kept seriously fit, which may have something to do with it.
It is a point we all come to in aviation, when we must decide for ourselves, before an accident, a check pilot or a medical terminates our career. In the helicopter world, these three horses of the aviation Apocolypse seem to circle us earlier in life.
Although Noel did not make his living out of flying, he added to the professionalism of aviation which is the goal of a natural pilot.
FWIW