A PILOT accused of causing the death of Orlando Rogers through a reckless aerobatic stunt was not "showing off" on the day of the fatal crash, a court heard.

Scott Hoyle was charged with manslaughter after the crash on May 15, 2011, which the Crown alleges was caused by his attempting a loop-the-loop.

That day the 47-year-old, a former non-commissioned officer with the Royal Marines, made two flights in the vintage two-seat de Havilland Tiger Moth he co-owned.

His first passenger, Royal Marine troop commander Nicholas Diamond, gave evidence at Winchester Crown Court this morning.

Mr Diamond, a friend and comrade of the late Mr Rogers, said Hoyle had discussed performing loops with them before the flights, and had provided a thorough safety briefing at Compton Abbas airfield.

He told the court that, although not a pilot himself, he had previous flying experience and he was comfortable when Hoyle performed two loops over Manswood, near Witchampton, that afternoon.

Cross-examining the witness, Stephen Spence QC said: "At any time did you feel he was trying to scare you, to show off or anything like that?"

"No, far from it," Mr Diamond said.

The court also heard evidence from Manswood resident Terrance May, who described seeing a silver Tiger Moth performing loops overhead while he was gardening.

Mr May said he saw the plane perform a loop at around 2pm then fly off, and thought nothing of it.

He said the same plane then returned 45 minutes later.

"The plane came over, it almost mirrored what it did the first time," he said.

"It went up into a loop, again the engine coughed and spluttered a little bit, it came back round, rose up, twisted round a little bit to go into a spiral.

"As it started to spiral down I immediately thought something wasn't right."

Mr May said he wasn't sure what was wrong, but he told his daughter to call the emergency services.

"We were expecting a big crash but there was just a dull thud," he said.

Also this morning, the court heard from plane co-owner and trustee Timothy Le Mesurier, who said the Tiger Moth was kept in good condition and had been serviced only eight hours before the fatal flight.

Hoyle, of Charborough Road, Broadstone, Poole, has pleaded not guilty to one count of manslaughter and one count of endangering the safety of an aircraft or any person in an aircraft.

The trial continues.