I'm glad this 88 year-old is still flying - though its not clear if this means solo. As to the last bit: the Chipmunk was not used in WW2; the prototype first flew in 1946.
Both my parents got their license in a Chipmunk. Also the first plane "I flew" over the Great Lakes probably 12 or 13 at the time. Not much difference from driving my Mom's Cortina as I recall.
Journalist held it together until that last bit about the Chippy training pilots for the war! Good article anyway and good to see such a wonderful connection between man and machine.