it's easier to reduce normal retirement age in the pension scheme to 60 than to get the single pilot licencing age increased to 65, especially now we are in EASA
Technically speaking you are correct, unfortunately, technically speaking, it is easier to kill a particularly morose wolf with your bare hands rather than a belligerent lion!
We are dealing with reality however, and all of the cases above are fraught with difficulty. With regards to the NPAS scheme, it is actually the West Yorks Local Government Scheme, Now there are rules that allow 'early retirement' to be taken with no actuarial reduction, but someone has to foot the bill for that, in our case it would be West Yorkshire Police (or more correctly! All of the members of the general public)! At least (for the moment anyway), the scheme is based on final salary (well, average salary now), but I doubt the likes of cockney Steve will have much sympathy when you look at the even worse situation of endowment policies wrapped up as private pension schemes as described by CS in the previous post!