Not disagreeing with anybody, but mentioning something interesting.
Dr. Tony Segal is a glider pilot and former GP who lives in Uxbridge. When Tony retired as a GP he decided to use his considerable intellect and experience to spend the rest of his life researching the crashworthiness of gliders and light aeroplanes.
I don't think that he flies any more. However, over the last couple of decades he has developed most of the current science of crashworthy little aeroplane cockpits, including developing the science behind conformal foams. He's done it entirely in his own time, with his own or scrounged resources, and because he felt it was a good idea.
Don't fear that this has gone unrecognised - he's become a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, spoken all around the world on his work, and won a handful of assorted awards. But, not enough ordinary pilots know how much we all Tony and his retirement hobby.
G