PRAYERS of remembrance were said yesterday in memory of Flt Lt Jon Egging, the Red Arrows pilot who lost his life near Bournemouth on Saturday.

At St John’s Church in Scampton, Lincolnshire, where the Reds are based, Reverend Bill Williams spoke of a community in shock.

He said: “No one really believed it would happen and no one wanted it to. Our prayers go out to them, in particular a lady who’s left in shock and with a gap in her life. We pray she might find comfort and peace in her fellows.”

The eight Red Arrows Hawk jets that returned safely after Saturday’s fatal crash will remain in Bournemouth while investigations are carried out.

A Daily Echo source said the planes had been moved out of public view to Cobham at Bournemouth Airport and would remain there while investigators look into what caused the crash that cost Red Four, Flt Lt Jon Egging, his life.

All of the RAF’s Hawks were grounded in the wake of the tragedy.

It has also emerged that Flt Lt Egging was using a different jet to the one he had been allocated for the display season, although it is not unusual for pilots to use different planes.

It was reported yesterday that another Hawk, piloted by Flt Lt Ben Plank, had to make an emergency landing at the Blackpool Air Show after hitting a bird.

There has been speculation that Flt Lt Egging’s jet may have suffered the same fate, although the results of the investigation are some way off.

Terry Trevett, chairman of Bournemouth Red Arrows Association, said: “There’s no question that the aircraft are maintained to the highest possible standard through the efforts of the specialist engineers who make up the Red Arrows’ support – they of course are best known as the Blues and there’s approximately 100 of them.

“These aircraft are checked and double-checked before every flight and I’ve witnessed that.”

Shortly before the Bournemouth Air Festival got under way, Flt Lt Juliette Fleming, who flies the solo Hawk display, told the Daily Echo: “It’s been the number one training aircraft for advanced fast jet flying training for the last 30 years and it’s such a manoeuvrable, relatively easy aircraft to fly as far as its systems go and it’s very reliable.

“It does push you physically to your limits – we can pull up to eight-G to minus-three-and-a-half-G.”