Thank you so much everyone for these inspirational words and suggestions.
In answer to you question Kevmusic: classical and easy listening - apologies for my not responding sooner.
My father started his career with A V Roe as an apprentice at the time when the Vulcan was being built. His true passion was flight and he had a long and fulfilling career with the company (under it's subsequent names of course, how unusual to have one employer in a lifetime these days) as a Design Engineer, particularly working on Nimrod (thanks for the Elgar suggestion Cusco), and 125 Business Jet special variants.
His final project before retirement was working with McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach CA. By this time he was a PPL and Glider Pilot and had many memorable flying and soaring experiences in the US.
A long and happy retirement flying RC models (when his medical finally expired!) sadly did not materialise due to Alzheimer's Disease.
On the approach into Woodford sometime in the late 80's in the Grob 109B
he shared ownership of.
Morane Saulnier Paris - Cranfield Student Days. Dad (middle) would always
quote the shockingly few minutes it would be between brakes off at
Cranfield to 10,000 feet over the Wash
One of the first Nimrod aircraft at Woodford
John Harrison 1937-2007