Red Arrows take to the sky where pilot died a year ago to perform memorial fly-by
An emotional crowd broke out in spontaneous applause yesterday when the Red Arrows returned to perform at the same air festival where pilot Jon Egging died last year.
The display in Bournemouth, Dorset, was a poignant reminder of the heroic flyer, whose Red 4 aircraft plummeted to the ground.
He managed to steer the jet away from houses and a theme park before crashing into a field where he sadly died.
Poignant: The Red Arrows returned to perform at the same air festival where pilot Jon Egging died last year to spontaneous applause
Tragic: Three months after Ft Lft Jon Egging, left, passed away, a second Red Arrows pilot, Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, died. This year’s show included just seven pilots instead of the usual nine to signify the loss of the two men
Red Arrow pilots commemorated their late colleague by performing the aerobatic display in front of thousands of spectators standing on the cliff-top.
Mr Egging's widow Dr Emma Egging, who was witnessed her husband's plane run in to trouble, said she was feeling 'mixed emotions' on her return to the town where her husband and partner of 13 years died.
Speaking of her feelings watching the famous display team in action, she said: 'I was incredibly proud of Jon then, whenever I watched him, and I get those same feelings now.
Three months after Ft Lft Egging passed away, a second Red Arrows pilot, Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, died.
He was ejected from his jet at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire while the aeroplane was still on the ground.
This year’s show included just seven pilots instead of the usual nine to signify the loss of the two men.
Remembrance: The display in Bournemouth, Dorset, was a poignant reminder of the heroic flyer, whose Red 4 aircraft plummeted to the ground a year ago
Show: Red Arrow pilots today commemorated their late colleague by performing the aerobatic display in front of thousands of spectators standing on the cliff-top
Taking to the sky: They took part in a fly past in a special formation that saw five jets using white smoke and two with red, paying tribute to Fl Lft Egging and Ft Lft Cunningham
They took part in a fly past in a special formation that saw five jets using white smoke and two with red, paying tribute to Fl Lft Egging and Ft Lft Cunningham.
A memorial on the resort’s cliff-top was unveiled in Ft Lft Egging’s honour with his wife and the current Red Arrows team present.
The sculpture features three aeroplanes and ‘smoke’ carved from metal, each tinted with a different colour.
Memory: Dr Emma Egging, widow of Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging, and the Red Arrows team open the memorial designed by Bournemouth school
It was designed by schoolchildren, Ft Lft Egging’s Red Arrows colleague Ft Lft Ben Plank, Dr Egging, and the local council, and created by artist Tim Ward.
Dr Egging said: 'It is obviously hard because every time I come here, I think of Jon.
'Life has changed so much in the last year.
'We were together for 13 years, we were our own little team.
'But we both had our own careers.
'Jon might not be here anymore, but I feel very much that everything I have achieved since last August is something that Jon would have been proud of,' said his wife Dr Egging
'Jon might not be here anymore, but I feel very much that everything I have achieved since last August is something that Jon would have been proud of.
'It is fantastic to see the memorial to Jon, on the cliff top with the beautiful views of the sea in the background.
'It represents exactly what Jon stood for - you should set your goals and reach for the skies. You can achieve, you just have to try.'
Onlooker David Brown, 47, said: 'It was a moving display and there was lots of applause and even tears.'
The Jon Egging Trust was set up in the weeks following the pilot’s death, and was launched in Lincolnshire to help 13 to 21-year-olds suffering from low confidence and low self-esteem.
They were mentored by pilots and eventually earned credits towards their BTEC qualifications.
Flt Lt Egging was inspired to fly by his airline pilot father, who used to let him into the cockpit for takeoff and landing.
He joined the RAF in 2000 and served with IV(AC) Squadron based at RAF Cottesmore, flying the Harrier GR9 in support of coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Inquests into men's deaths were opened and adjourned last year.
No comments:
Post a Comment