Pilot injured in light aircraft crash at First World War-era aerodrome event

The pilot of a light aircraft has been seriously injured in a crash at an event being held at the site of a First World War-era aerodrome.Essex Police said one person had been injured in the incident at Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome in Maldon shortly before 2.25pm on Sunday.In a statement, the aerodrome said one of the aircraft involved in a display by the Turbulent team was damaged, the pilot was injured, and the air show halted.The air show was being held at Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome Essex (Handout/PA)PA MediaIn a post on Facebook, the aerodrome said the injured pilot had been taken to a London hospital.The site has been closed to the public.The air show was advertised as a “festival of aviation” to raise funds for the on-site First World War military aviation museum, according to its website, which said it was sold out.In a Facebook post on August 7, the aerodrome said the show would feature a display from its Turbulent Team, with pilots chasing balloons and dropping flour bombs from the single-seat light aircraft.The aerodrome houses the largest intact group of Royal Flying Corps (RFC) buildings from the First World War and played a “pivotal role” in Britain’s air defence during the first bombing raids, its website says.The Turbulent Team’s website describes the French-designed aircraft, believed to have been first flown in 1953, as “little more than a flying motorbike”, weighing about 350lbs when empty.Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, flew in the Druine Turbulent in 1959, becoming the first member of the royal family to fly a single-seat aircraft.