RE: Does age have to do with what airplanes you fly?
Yes and no. A large sport gas model is probably easier once aloft than a small glow version. Provided you can transport the beast and afford the servos. On the other hand there is something to be said for a .46 sized biplane you can pull out of the wagon fully assembled and be ready to fly as soon as you fuel it up. That's why I have a 43" WS Ultimate and a 65" WS Ultimate. I can tell you a giant scale is less effected by grass fields and 15 mph winds. You can also "feel" the inertia a heavier model carries. Again, for better or worse, and it is a matter of wing loading of the design as well.
I stay away from things with retracts or flying wires because I don't need my life complicated with those aspects. But that is a scale issue more than a size issue . . . if you follow.