As production moved from buses back to aircraft my grandfather took on responsibilities for plant maintenance, both at the Esplanade and at Rochester Airport, the home of the Stirling bomber. It was whilst working on a wing jig for the Stirling in the Airport hanger that he arranged for my father to fly, unofficially, in the half size pre-production aircraft known as the M4. John Lankester Parker, the pilot, was well known to my grandfather. 

Towards the end of his time at Shorts his maintenance responsibilities meant that he was present during many of the launchings of prototype flying boats such as the Maia and the Mercury and the iconic Sunderland.