THE family of a Stanmore pilot killed during an air race have paid tribute to a “great chap”.

The first Jonathan Willis, 38, knew of the crash that killed his father and brother were the chilling words “mayday, mayday, mayday” coming from the radio of his own aircraft.

Michael Willis, 73, of Stanmore, and his son James, 42, of Hillingdon, died after a collision with another plane on the final five-mile stretch of the Merlin Trophy race, in the Isle of Wight, on Saturday.

The pilot of the other plane and another aircraft behind both sent out the distress call as Mr Willis's craft, a Mooney M20B, lost its wing and went down over woodland.

Jonathan said: “The pilot who did the second mayday call said 'there's been a collision, an aircraft has gone down. It's the green and white Mooney'.

“That's when that icy cold feeling just hit me. We were just going over the finishing line at the time. It's just that feeling of 'Oh my God'.

“I think one or two people said that the wing had detached and that's when I knew that it was almost certainly fatal.”

The planes hit as the contestants bunched together at the end of the race, which lasted around an hour and was part of the build-up to the Schneider Trophy race that had been scheduled for Sunday.

Wife of 43 years Jane Willis, who was on the ground watching at the time of the crash, said: “All the marshals, two or three of them, started running across.

“I couldn't see anything that had happened. I said to the woman I was sitting with 'something's happened'.

“The chap behind me had his computer on and I heard him say 'it's the mooney'. I didn't know what had happened but the shock started to build up. It became the worst day of my life.

“I've always known Michael as a survivor and he always seemed to know how to manage a situation. He was quite a bit older than I was.

“He was too sensible, too practical, too much of a personality and too with it to die. It wasn't plausible. We are all just trying to cope.”

She said Michael lived life on the edge but, despite pursuing a series of dangerous past times, always made sure he knew how to get out of trouble.

She told the Harrow Times how he made the national press during his career as a commercial pilot by guiding a plane carrying 119 passengers having lost the nose cone and navigation systems in a heavy storm.

Hail lashed the sides of the plane damaging much of the hardware but he guided it back to Luton airport using only Paris, the north star and the Edgware Road as markers.

He cheated death on two other occasions, when an air bubble rendered his breathing equipment useless while scuba diving and again while filming a group of eight sharks that began to circle him.

Mrs Willis said: “He was a great chap in many ways. He was kind and very knowledgeable. He was a great companion to me. We had, which I think a lot of couples don't have, good conversations between us.

“That's my lasting memory of him, he was a great companion. He was a presence and now it's quiet.”

Funeral arrangements are still being made for Michael and James, who was navigating.

The two occupants of the other aircraft involved in the collision were able to fly back to Bembridge Airport where the plane landed. They were assessed by medics but were not injured.