A Red Arrows enthusiast has paid an emotional tribute to a pilot killed after he was ejected from his aircraft and said the RAF aerobatic display team should never be permanently grounded.
Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, 35, was killed after being ejected from his Hawk T1 while on the ground at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire on November 8.
The Iraq War veteran was the second Red Arrows pilot to be killed in less than three months after the death of Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging, 33, in an air show crash in Dorset in August.
Red Arrows enthusiast Maureen Hanson, 42, said a "Red Arrows meet-up" had been arranged today near the air base so people could pay their respects to Flt Lt Cunningham and Flt Lt Egging, and show their support for the team.
Speaking from The Sentry Post Snack Bar on the A15 opposite the RAF Waddington runway in Lincolnshire, Miss Hanson said she was "heartbroken and so, so devastated" at the deaths of the two pilots and said the team should not be disbanded.
"They should show the country how proud they still are, you know it's the Red Arrows that puts the great in Great Britain."
Miss Hanson, who moved from Berkshire to Saxilby in Lincolnshire around 18 months ago to be nearer to the team, said around 30 Red Arrows and aviation enthusiasts had gathered at the snack bar and more were expected this afternoon when a convoy of cars would make their way to RAF Scampton to lay flowers and sign a book of condolence.
Describing the atmosphere, she said: "It's a little bit sombre still, everybody's sharing their stories about the Reds, about the shows they've been to see."
All but vital flights in aircraft fitted with Martin Baker Mk 10 ejection seats were suspended while air accident officials investigated the tragedy.
The RAF announced on Thursday that all Tornado GR4 flying can resume, but the ban remains in place for Hawk T1, Hawk T2 and Tucano aircraft.
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