This heartbreaking video shows the Royal Air Force engineer who died in a Red Arrows crash lovingly talking about the job he’d wanted since he was a schoolboy.
Corporal Jonathan Bayliss, 41, died when the Hawk T1 aircraft he was in crashed at the RAF Valley in North Wales on Tuesday.
Corporal Bayliss had wanted to fly with the Red Arrows since he was young and in the video he proudly explains how the famous smoke mechanism on the plane works.
You can see how much it means to him to be an engineer with the Red Arrows and he looks extremely proud as he explains the mechanism.
He demonstrates how the smoke pod in the video is used to create the ‘lovely coloured smoke’.
He smiles as he outlines how the mechanism works and his enthusiasm for his job is clear in the short clip.
Corporal Jonathan Bayliss, 41 (pictured) was tragically killed in the Red Arrows crash in the RAF Valley
Corporal Bayliss tragically died in the crash that also forced pilot Flight Lieutenant David Stark into an emergency evacuation.
He survived and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The crash happened when the Hawk appeared to be heading back to the runway.
Corporal Bayliss was praised by friends and colleagues as ‘a generous, kind and caring man who could also always be relied upon’.
They described him as a ‘skilled leader’ and a ‘genuine grafter’.
Corporal Bayliss’s close colleague Sergeant Will Allen, leader of the Red Arrows group of travelling support engineers, known as the Circus, for 2018, said: ‘Jon had the ability to motivate and inspire a team and those around him – no matter the rank, role or person.
‘He was so proud to have been chosen to join the Circus team for 2018 and, in being one of the small group of engineers whose job it was to fly in a Red Arrows jet, had fulfilled a schoolboy dream.
‘Jon had a big a presence on the Squadron and with his wide beaming smile, and dry humour, could lighten up any dull moment or lift spirits when needed.
Corporal Bayliss had wanted to fly with the Red Arrows since he was a schoolboy and friends said he was tremendously proud to so
‘Both inside and outside of work, he was a generous, kind and caring man who could also always be relied upon.
‘Having worked with Jon both at the Red Arrows and elsewhere in the Royal Air Force, I know how tirelessly he approached each task and was, what many would describe, a genuine grafter.’
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: ‘It is with deep sadness that I heard of the death of Corporal Jonathan Bayliss whilst flying with the Red Arrows on Anglesey.
‘It’s clear from his colleagues that he was an incredibly skilled engineer and held in the highest regard as a teammate, a friend, and a shining example of what the British Armed Forces stand for. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones at this terrible time.’
Corporal Bayliss, was born in Dartford, Kent, and grew up in Hartley. He attended Axton Chase School in Longfield and West Kent College.
He then went on to complete a higher national diploma in engineering management at the University of Greenwich. Before joining the RAF in 2001, he worked at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit.
The tragic crash happened on Tuesday and also forced pilot Flight Lieutenant David Stark into an emergency evacuation (pictured)