Probably knew your dad as at hamble 1970. I would suggest that you train at st Rémy en Provence..Romani..I’ve flown from most of the gliding sites in the region and they have a second to none set up.
Go there with the express mentality of becoming a glider pilot ..you will learn skills that you won’t learn driving heavy metal.
Keep it quiet as to what you eventually want to do.
Muck in especially with maintenance.
good luck and have fun