One thing I did at uni was join the gliding club, which I ended up running for two years. This was a great experience and looks good on my CV. Does Salford have any aviation clubs you could get involved with like a flying club or UAS?
Speaking as an engineer, CEng is a long old road. You are talking maybe 10 years plus from where you are now, but is (arguably) where the money is. CEng also requires an MEng and a good amount of industry experience to meet all the required competencies. MEng is certainly worth while if engineering is a career that you want to pursue. The various grad schemes offered by big engineering companies like BAE, RR, Thales etc are all very competitive so a year in industry will certainly stand you in good stead. Very often you can get placements at these big firms who will then take you on after your final year. Some may even offer to sponsor your MEng and take you on after you graduate.
Hope this helps