密友飛機表演墜落失事後的"藍天"

One beautiful, sunny afternoon in August 2011 I was on a beach with friends, watching my husband, Jon Egging, perform at an air show near BourneMouth. I knew something wasn’t right when he didn’t telephone me afterwards from the airfield. He always called me when he landed to say he was safe but this time my mobile stayed silent. Because I was watching the display from the beach, I hadn’t seen the crash that killed him.

2011年8月，一個風和日麗的下午，我與朋友們在伯恩茅斯(Bournemouth)附近的海邊，觀看我先生喬恩?埃金(Jon Egging)的飛行表演。表演結束後他沒有從飛行基地打電話給我，那時我就意識到有什麼不對勁。以前，他每次一着陸就會給我打電話報平安，但這一次，我的手機一直沒響。我是在海邊觀看錶演的，因此我沒有看到那次要了他命的墜機。

Jon was a pilot with the Royal Air Force Red Arrows. He was 33 and coming to the end of his first year with the aerobatic team. I watched him perform many times but the Bournemouth Air Festival was always one of the highlights of the season. The main display takes place along the seafront, which is a spectacular backdrop for an airshow but a few miles from Bournemouth Airport, where the team was based that day.

喬恩是英國皇家空軍“紅箭”飛行表演隊(Royal Air Force Red Arrows)的飛行員。飛機失事那一年他33歲，在“紅箭”隊即將待滿一年。我曾多次觀看他的表演，但伯恩茅斯飛行節(Bournemouth Air Festival)一直是當季的最大亮點之一。主要的飛行表演都在海濱上空進行。對飛行表演來說，海濱是絕好的背景，但距離表演隊當天的基地伯恩茅斯機場(Bournemouth Airport)有幾英里遠。

I had been especially excited when I woke that morning because the weather had been atrocious, and, for once, the skies were clear. That meant the Reds could perform their full display, not hampered by the cloud cover that can restrict their formations. So this would be the first time I had watched Jon complete the full display.

那天早晨，我一睜眼就感到特別興奮，因爲天空萬里無雲。之前“紅箭”隊表演時，天公一直不作美，只有這次是個好天兒。這意味着，“紅箭”表演隊這次能夠完成全套表演，不會因雲層遮擋影響編隊而無法完成全部動作。因此，這將是我第一次觀看喬恩完成全套表演。

The inquest later heard that as the Red Arrows approached the airport to land, Jon blacked out due to the effects of G-force. Moments later his Hawk T1 aircraft crashed into a field and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

後來的調查發現，在“紅箭”隊接近機場準備降落時，喬恩在重力的作用下突然失去知覺。片刻之後，他駕駛的鷹式教練機Hawk T1撞向地面，他被當場宣佈死亡。

The rest of that time was all a bit of a blur but I remember the support and help I received from so many of Jon’s friends and colleagues. He loved seeing the world from above and was fulfilling a dream flying with the Red Arrows. Being in the air was so cathartic for him.

有關那段時間的其餘記憶都有點模糊了，但我記得喬恩的那麼多朋友和同事給了我支持和幫助。喬恩生前熱愛從天上俯瞰世界，在“紅箭”隊駕駛飛機是在實現他的一個夢想。對他來說，在空中飛行的感覺是如此暢快。

I met Jon at Southampton University, where I was studying archaeology. There were lots of clubs and societies to join but the air squadron caught my eye. To be honest, flying didn’t come naturally to me because I found it quite scary. I think my instructor realised I wasn’t a pilot when we were training over Salisbury Plain. I was more interested in the archaeological features below than trying to fly straight and level.

我是在南安普頓大學(University of Southampton)遇到喬恩的，當時我學的是考古。學校裏有很多俱樂部和社團，但“空軍中隊”吸引了我。老實說，我並不適合開飛機，因爲我覺得那相當恐怖。我覺得，在沙利斯伯利平原(Salisbury Plain)上空訓練時，我的指導老師就意識到了我不是當飛行員的料。我更感興趣的是那些有關考古的地面特徵，而非如何飛出一條水平直線。

Jon was a dynamic, self-assured man who was also very welcoming. He was extremely motivated. Flying was what made him tick, and, after university, he went straight to RAF College Cranwell for officer training. He became an instructor on Hawk training jets and later flew a Harrier in Afghanistan, before joining the Red Arrows in 2010. I was working as an archaeologist at the British Museum and we eventually settled down in a little cottage in Rutland, close to Jon’s base at RAF Scampton. We married in June 2010 at our village church in Morcott and loved being part of the community there.

喬恩是個有活力、有自信的小夥子，而且非常熱情。他很上進。飛行是他生活的動力。大學畢業後，他直接參加了克蘭韋爾皇家空軍學院(RAF College Cranwell)的軍官培訓課程。後來他成爲Hawk教練機的飛行教員，接着在阿富汗駕駛Harrier飛機，再後來於2010年加入了“紅箭”隊。我當時是大英博物館(British Museum)的考古學家。最後，我們在拉特蘭郡一座農家小屋安下了家，這裏離喬恩所在的皇家空軍斯坎普頓基地很近。2010年6月，我們在茅科特(Morcott)的鄉村教堂結婚，愉快地成爲了當地社區的一分子。

When we were at home together, Jon and I sometimes talked about the idea of setting up a charity to help young people achieve their full potential. Every time Jon pulled on his red flying suit, it was such a powerful magnet. People wanted to listen to what he had to say and looked up to him. We discussed how this might be harnessed to help youngsters build confidence and self-esteem.

喬恩和我兩人在家的時候，有時會說起想創辦一家慈善組織，幫助年輕人實現他們的全部潛能。每當喬恩穿上他那身紅色的飛行服，他就會散發出無窮的魅力。人們願意聽他講話，對他無比尊敬。我們曾討論過，或許可以利用這點幫助年輕人建立信心和自尊。

Setting up a charity in Jon’s name helped me get through the sadness and negativity. I work for the charity full time now and we have already helped 50 young people to better their lives through our Blue Skies programme.

以喬恩的名義創辦一家慈善組織，幫助我度過了那段悲傷而消極的日子。我現在全職爲這家慈善組織工作。通過我們的藍天計劃(Blue Skies)，我們已幫助50位年輕人改善了他們的生活。

Since the accident I have watched the Red Arrows perform at other events. It was a little strange but the team has helped me so much since Jon died. They have always been very supportive.

自那次事故以來，我還觀看過“紅箭”隊的其他一些飛行表演。這有點奇怪，但自喬恩去世後，“紅箭”隊給了我莫大的幫助。他們一直非常熱心。

I will always remember the special times I shared with Jon and the essence of the man – he was my best friend, husband and supporter. I’m sure that he would have wanted me to carry on with that idea we shared together to help other youngsters fulfil their own dreams.

我將永遠銘記我與喬恩共度的那些珍貴時光，以及他的優秀品質。他曾是我最好的朋友，也是我的先生和支持者。我相信，他會希望我繼續完成我們當初共同懷有的理想，幫助其他年輕人實現他們的夢想。