Alan Peter Goodfellow

Fighter pilot, farmer and wildlife enthusiast Alan Goodfellow has died after a short illness at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, aged 90.

His lifelong interest in flying also inspired other pilots over the decades and in 1959, he was a founder of the Norfolk Gliding Club, based at Tibenham.

Born in Bideford, Devon, he was the oldest of four children although one died in childhood. A keen sportsman, he joined the aircraft company, A.V. Roe in 1936, and qualified in aircraft engineering.

Preferring the outdoor life, he went to work on his uncle's Oxfordshire farm although his family was steeped in the law. His grandfather, and father, who had flown with the Royal Flying Corps in the first world war, and brother were solicitors.

At the outbreak of the second world war, Alan, his father and brother volunteered for pilot training with the Fleet Air Arm. Posted to HMS Ark Royal in the Mediterranean, Alan's plane survived a torpedo attack off Gibraltar on November 13, 1941.

He had been on the point of landing when the torpedo struck but had just enough fuel left to reach Gibraltar. Ark Royal sank, under tow, the next day.

He trained other pilots before returning to carrier duties and in 1944 was selected as a test pilot for the second Empire test pilot course at Boscombe Down.

In 1945 he had married Brenda and returned to his uncle's farm, where he studied agriculture at Reading. Then he moved to East Anglia as farm manager on the Mettingham Hall estate, near Bungay, in 1951.

In 1957, he left farm management moving to Carlton, near Saxmundham, where he built up contract pig production as a field manager for Walls. He became eastern area manager but in 1969, his wife died.

Made redundant by Walls in 1973, he soon gained a similar job working with fruit farmers for Geest. He married Jill in 1973, and in 1979 retired from Geest and expanded his book dealing activities.

In 1987, they moved to Chedgrave. He had an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of bird books, which was a great asset for his Carlton Books business.

He celebrated his 90th birthday in style in January with a large family gathering including his eight grandchildren and two great grandsons.

Flying was central to his life. He had started in gliders in 1937 and after the war joined the London Gliding Club. For more than 20 years, he was an instructor enabling others to experience the pleasure of flying.

A life member of the Spitfire Association, he was an honoured guest at Duxford for the 70th anniversary of the Spitfire a couple of years ago because he had flown almost all the marks.

He is survived by a brother, Norman and sister, Joan. He leaves a widow, Jill, and his three children, Ben, Gillie and Joy, step-daughter Julie and eight grandchildren.

A funeral will be held at All Saints, Chedgrave, on Friday, April 24 (2.30pm).