CAPTAIN JOHN FAIREYCaptain John Fairey, a pilot described as "a gentleman aviator", died at the age of 70 whenhis plane crashed into a field in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, on 8 July, 2009.
Captain Fairey, who lived in a village near Stockbridge, Hampshire, had been exhibiting his vintage plane at the Waddington Air Show on the day of the accident. He was a well-known and popular figure in UK aviation often flying at air shows.
Educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge, Captain Fairey was the son of Sir Richard Fairey, who in 1915 founded the Fairey Aviation company based in Hayes, Middlesex.
The Captain was at the controls of a Percival P.56 Provost which went down close to the River Ancholme at Bishop Norton, near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire. He had beenflying from RAF Waddington to RAF Linton-on-Ouse when the accident happened.
Captain Fairey was Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire and heavily involved with the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil. He was also chairman of the development trust of the Museum of Army Flying.
In a career as a commercial pilot he flew with Cambrian Airways, British Airways, the Rhodesian Air Force and the Channel Express until his retirement at the age of 65.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Gina Livermore, a close friend, said: "The family are devastated at this tragic event. He was a much loved man, a good and generous friend, and respected by all who knew him in the village and beyond.
RAF Waddington's station commander Group Captain Rich Powell said: "I was saddened to hear of the fatal crash involving Captain John Fairey who departed from RAF Waddington in his Piston Provost after participating in the ground display for the Waddington Air Show.
"Sadly, we in the military are all too often exposed to the sudden loss of friends and colleagues and it is therefore with personal experience in mind that I write this message. On behalf of all the personnel at RAF Waddington I would like to pass on our most sincere condolences to Captain Fairey's family and friends at this difficult time."
He was survived by daughter Sarah Jane, and grandson Alexander.
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