The pilot of the jet in the Shoreham airshow crash is an experienced and skilled aerobatic flyer who has spent more than 12,000 hours in the air. Andy Hill, 51, who is in a critical condition in hospital, has flown for British Airways, is a highly skilled former RAF instructor and a regular at airshows across Britain.
Video showed his plane coming too low out of a loop manoeuvre on Saturday and slamming into the A27 in West Sussex, ploughing through cars on the busy road and bursting into a huge fireball. Police say that 11 people are “highly likely” to have died in the tragedy.
David Wildridge, who flew with the Tiger Nine display earlier in Saturday’s show, said that Hill was “very well thought of” and that his wife had also worked as a British Airways captain.
Wildridge told the Chichester Observer: “He is a highly experienced pilot, well known and well loved. He is highly professional and it is totally unusual for this to happen. He was a Harrier pilot in the air force. They are the top RAF pilots – the best of the best.”
Wildridge, who also flew Hawker Hunter jets in the RAF, added: “It is very emotional for us. The Hunters have a characteristic sound. When everything is right, you hear it and that is what we heard as it made its first pass above the airfield.”
Hill also works as a pilot offering flight experiences to the public for the company Ultimate High, according to its website. He has years of flying experience, having worked as a light aircraft test pilot, an RAF Harrier GR7 instructor, a commercial pilot captaining Airbus planes and as a stunt and aerobatic display pilot.
According to Ultimate High, he began his career flying Bulldogs on a university air squadron and, after excelling in fast-jet training, he was picked to go straight into instructing on the BAC Jet Provost, a jet-powered trainer aircraft used by the RAF. He then operated the Harrier GR5 and GR7 jets in Germany and has flown Airbus A340 and Boeing 757 and 767 airliners, working as a captain for Airbus.
The company’s website said: “He is a very experienced formation instructor and display pilot, and regularly displays the RV-8, Jet Provost and Hunter.”
Hill works as an aerobatic stunt pilot as part of the flying duo the RV8tors, which perform close formation aerobatic displays at speeds of up to 230mph. The RV8tors – Hill and fellow display pilot Alister Kay – perform at events, private functions and weddings in RV-8 aircraft – small two-seat, home-built planes.
A profile of Hill on the company’s website said: “In 2011, as well as displaying with the RV8tors, Andy flew formation displays in the Hunter and Bulldog, and solo aerobatic displays in the Jet Provost.
“Andy and his wife Ellie took two years to build their RV-8, both are airline captains with over 12,000 hours each,’’ it said, adding that they were also building an RV-3.
