Pilot 'risked Red Arrows crash'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/7344432.stm

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A flying instructor was fined after guiding a pupil into the path of a Red Arrows' display in Cambridgeshire.

Edward Shaksted's plane came within 500ft (152m) of the jets near Duxford airfield last September, risking a "mid-air collision".

The 60-year-old instructor allowed his pupil to draw up the flight plan and had not checked it before beginning the lesson, Cambridge magistrates heard.

He admitted flying in restricted airspace and was fined £1,000.

A Civil Aviation Authority spokeswoman said: "He said he had asked his pupil to check if there were any restrictions on the flight path but it should have been his responsibility as the pilot in command.

"He had 38 years' flying experience and should've known this. They didn't check and they flew into the route of a Red Arrows display.

"In the worst case scenario, there could've been a mid-air collision."

The CAA said it was considering taking further action against Shaksted.