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’s plane crashed a few minutes after taking off from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Saturday afternoon.
The father-of-two was taking part in an airshow nine miles away from the base to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Britain – a show he was due to take over next year.
The Spitfire belonged to Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), which are based at the station.
The RAF paid tributes to the Typhoon pilot in a touching statement, describing him as ‘a great friend, colleague and a passionate, professional aviator’ who will be ‘sorely missed’.
In an Instagram post date March 4, the Squadron Leader shared videos of Hurricane and Spitfire airplanes in flight as he spoke of his his excitement about the upcoming show.
He captioned the social media post: ‘We are only a few weeks away from getting back flying in these iconic aircraft. Cannot wait!!!’
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.
‘We have landed here with the Hurricane and Spitfire ready for react later this afternoon. The reason we landed in Gloucester is actually for cross winds.
‘I’ll show you around the aircraft and you will see what we are operating and why we are so precious about how we pick our winds, surface and flying conditions.’
From under the Hurricane, Long said: ‘What a lovely summer we are having right now as temperatures are soaring. The unique element of the Hurricane is that it gets really hot inside but it actually does quite well at keeping itself cool,
‘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’.
Leading tributes to the pilot yesterday, Gp Capt Robbie Lees, commander of the RAF’s Display Air Wing, said: ‘Mark was a Typhoon pilot here at RAF Coningsby and for the last four years he has been a pilot with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
‘A great friend, colleague, and a passionate, professional aviator he will be sorely missed by all that knew him.’
He said an investigation into the cause of the ‘tragic event’ was now underway.
‘I would like to extend a sincere thank you to the RAF personnel, and our emergency services colleagues who responded so swiftly yesterday.
The scene where the pilot died in a crash during a Battle of Britain event near RAF Coningsby
‘Our thoughts remain with Mark’s family and friends to whom we offer our deepest sympathies. We ask that their privacy be respected at this tragic and shocking time.’
BBMF operates six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Lancaster, a C47 Dakota, and two Chipmunk aircraft.
The pilot qualified to fly Spitfires in 2021 and was lined up to take over running the BBMF next year.
His most recent RAF posting was as a flight commander flying Eurofighter Typhoons.
He joined the Air Force in 2003, having graduated from the University of Warwick.
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 former RAF air craftsman, speaking after the death of the experienced and respected flier during a Battle of Britain event, said: ‘I’ve seen a lot of terrible things in my life but this is up there with the worst.’
Mark, who declined to be fully named, saw the horror unfold as he was plane spotting with his partner and her RAF fan 10-year-old son from a car park overlooking the base.
Recalling the tragedy, he said: ‘There was an event going on and I saw a Spitfire taking off and flying at about 300 feet towards East Kirkby.
‘It was in the distance and suddenly it turned round and was coming back to base. It was swaying and swaying from one side to the other. He would have known there was a problem with the craft and it was awful to watch.
‘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.
‘It just nose-dived, sadly the pilot didn’t stand a chance. The way it went down so quickly and people were watching from the car park in horror and disbelief.
‘I was hoping it would be a different outcome but I knew there was no surviving that.
‘I was there with my partner and her son, who was beside himself with sadness, like many of us. It was devastating to watch.
‘You just don’t expect something like this to happen .’
Tony, speaking yesterday as he lay flowers at the much loved RAF base along with dozens of air enthusiasts and supporters, added: ‘A Hurricane was going to take off after the Spitfire but his flight was aborted.’
He said the pilot ‘must have known there was a problem and he was in difficulty’ and would have raised the alarm, saying: ‘He would have radio called because in less than a minute the fire service and ambulances were there.
‘The whole episode from take off to crash probably only lasted two and a half minutes.
‘It is too difficult to estimate the speed.’
‘I couldn’t clearly see the spot it came down but pictures show it was right beside a house and a tractor so no doubt other people witnessed it too. It is a terrible tragedy.’
The man, who lives locally, told how he often took his step son to watch the planes in action at the airfield.
He paid warm tribute to the pilot as a ‘remarkable and wonderful man’ and thrilled children with his ‘pep talks.’
He recalled: ‘At the end of a flight Mark would always make a point of coming up to the big wire fence and give the kids a pep talk through it.
‘He’d still be in his uniform, and he’d still have his flight maps pinned to his trousers, above the knees and would pass them to the children through the fence.
‘I didn’t know him personally but I knew him by reputation as a great pilot and a remarkable and wonderful man.
‘He always made time to speak to people so I had to come here today to pay my respects.
‘He told the kids that it was dream to become a pilot but he had failed four or five times.
‘His message to them was never to give up and that you can always live your dream.
‘It is such a terrible tragedy that it was to end in this way for him.’
The Spitfire came down at around 1.20pm on Saturday during a display at RAF Coningsby.
