I had the pleasure of going for a curry with Sir Patrick Moore about 15 years ago. Apart from his obvious appreciation of spice, he was certainly an interesting character to share stories with. He told the story about having to take over the controls of a Lancaster at a tender age after the Pilot and FE were injured. It really brought home to me what courage and bravery had to be brought into play; when you compare that with some of today's young people of a similar age, how many would be found wanting?
He definitely represents an era of very different standards and expectations.