Learnt to fly in my 20s now in my 50s. Spent years flying 12-20 hrs a year before going commercial and getting others to let me fly their machinery
Now have well over 4000 hrs.
Cost and a young family and low income were a major influence back then.
Maybe also having achieved the goal of a PPL and 10 times around the local area a lack of direction as to where do I go with this now nearly got me to drop it all a number of times.
My son is flying for EasyJet in a 737 and was doing so at the age of 22. He is just 23 Straight into flying at 16 and onto a career.
It is expensive to fly as a PPL and hence maybe some truth in the fact that many take up aviation later in life.
The young ones either get sidetracked by other life interferances or make a career in aviation and see the PPL as purely an enroute stepping stone.
Pace