Squadron Leader Mark Long shared videos of Hurricane and Spitfire airplanes in flight as he spoke of his excitement about the upcoming show.
The pilot who was tragically killed in a Spitfire crash during a Battle of Britain memorial show said he could not wait to fly the iconic aircraft just weeks before he died.
Squadron Leader Mark Long shared footage of a World War II-era plane in flight just weeks before his tragic death. In the post, he said he 'cannot wait' to fly the vintage aircraft in a few weeks In an older post, the experienced pilot shared a video explaining why they have to be careful about the conditions they fly the vintage aircrafts in.
'So you have got the massive propeller at the front of the 17-litre Merlin engine but that on the ground forces the air through the radiator'. During his career, Sqn Ldr Long was posted to 11 Squadron at Coningsby, deploying to the Baltics and the South Atlantic.A spectator who witnessed the horrific moment the Spitfire plane nose-dived to the ground, killing the pilot instantly, said: 'Sadly he didn't stand a chance.'
'The pilot would have realised there was a fault and was coming back to try and land safely but suddenly it just plummeted from about 150 feet. He paid warm tribute to the pilot as a 'remarkable and wonderful man' and thrilled children with his 'pep talks.' Photos from the scene show emergency services gathered around the wreckage of the plane just feet away from a house.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was 'deeply saddened' by the news, and thanked the emergency services for their response, adding 'my thoughts are with the pilot's family at this awful time.'
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