A FORMER Swindon schoolboy known to classmates as ‘Flying Officer Kite’ was originally named as the original pilot of the Hawker Hunter jet which crashed at the Shoreham air show.

Chris Heames, a Swindonian who attended Headlands School in the late 1960s, said he was horrified when he learned of the tragedy.

The retired RAF Squadron Leader was originally listed in the programme as flying the 1950s plane at the West Sussex show.

But a family holiday meant his place was taken up by ex-RAF and British Airways pilot Andy Hill, who is fighting for his life and has been put in a medically induced coma.

Mr Heames returned from a three-week trip to Cambodia to his home in Stamford, Lincolnshire, on Monday morning.

He said of the accident: “I was horrified, the same as everyone else. Anyone who has seen it knows it’s a terrible, tragic accident, anyone would react the same way.”

He found out about the accident when friends contacted him thinking he was flying the plane.

The 62-year-old said: “There’s a bit of a misrepresentation that Andy was a last minute stand-in for me. That’s just wrong. I haven’t worked out why my name was in the programme yet.

“My holiday was booked four months ago and we were always going to Cambodia for three weeks at the start of August.

“He was always going to be flying on the display and is as qualified and experienced as I am.”

Chris joined the RAF after leaving school in 1970 and has notched up 13,500 flying hours.

He said: “It would be totally wrong to try and second guess the cause of the accident.

“The Air Accident Investigation Branch are the experts in dissecting an accident and sorting out the ways of avoiding future accidents, we have to wait until they produce a report.”

He spoke as as investigators sought to find more victims of the disaster.

Four victims have so far been named and two others are missing, feared dead.

Sussex Police Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry has said it is becoming increasingly likely that the final death toll will be set at 11 after initial fears it could be as high as 20.

The removal of the jet from the scene this week uncovered no further evidence of victims.

The remains of the plane have been sent to Farnborough, Hampshire, where Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigators will try to find out what caused the crash. An interim report is due in the next few days.

It is understood that the jet was not carrying a black box flight recorder.