Select a region
The aviation community is "feeling the loss" of a pilot killed in a Spitfire crash in the UK at the weekend, the organiser of Jersey's air display has said following the "tragic" incident – though Jersey's own display is not expected to be affected.
Mike Higgins said that, while he did not personally know Squadron Leader Mark Long, the Jersey International Air Display team was "devastated" by the news.
Sqn Ldr Long, a Typhoon pilot at RAF Coningsby, was killed when the Spitfire he was flying crashed in a field in Lincolnshire on Saturday afternoon.
The flight had been due to take part in a national commemorative event in Portsmouth on 5 June to mark 80 years since D-Day – but the RAF has decided to ground the aircraft while investigations take place into the cause of the accident.
Mr Higgins said: “As a team, we’re devastated by the fact that a pilot has been killed and a Spitfire has crashed. The air display community is small and while I personally didn’t know him, we all feel the loss and feel for his family. It is a very tragic accident.”
Mr Higgins was in the process of finding out whether Sqn Ldr Long had previously flown in the Jersey Air Display.
Jersey International Air Display organiser Mike Higgins.
He continued: “As far as Jersey is concerned, it won’t affect us because we’re not getting the fighters this year anyway. We’re getting the Lancaster from the RAF, but not fighters.”
Mr Higgins added that the incident did not point to any dangers with flying old aircraft.
“You’ll get some of the sensationalist press trying to suggest that,” he said.
Mr Higgins added: “The truth is that many of these airplanes have been taken apart and rebuilt, almost to be like new planes.
“The standard of maintenance on them is phenomenal, and the Lancaster that will visit the island has just come away from a major rebuild at Duxford."
He continued: "We’re going to have to wait for the inquiry to reveal what happened, and there is no point speculating. All we know is that he crashed shortly after take-off.
“It won’t affect ours, and it won’t affect any other air displays, unless in the inquiry, they find there’s a fault with the aircraft, in which case they will ground and examine all the aircraft."
Two aircraft which have already been announced for the Jersey Air Display, due to be held in the second week of September, are the The Fokker D.XXI fighter and the The Saab B17.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.