Flt Lt Egging flew on the right hand outside of the famous Diamond Nine formation An RAF Red Arrows pilot died when his plane crashed following a display at the Bournemouth Air Festival in Dorset.
Flt Lt Jon Egging, 33, from Rutland, was killed when his Hawk T1 aircraft - Red 4 - crashed about 1km south east of Bournemouth Airport at 13:50 BST.Eyewitnesses described seeing the plane plunge to the ground in a field near the River Stour at Throop village.
It was one of nine Red Arrows aircraft that had earlier taken part in a display over the seafront.
'He will be missed' In a statement his wife, Dr Emma Egging, described her husband as "an exemplary pilot" and said watching him during the display was the "proudest" she had ever been.
"Jon was everything to those that knew him, and he was the best friend and husband I could ever have wished for," she said.
"I know that he would have wanted me to say something from the heart at this time. There was nothing bad about Jon.
"He loved his job and was an exemplary pilot.
"I loved everything about him, and he will be missed."
Flt Lt Egging was inspired by his airline pilot father who used to take him 'down route', allowing him into the cockpit for take off and landing.
Speaking to his local newspaper, The Leamington Observer, in May, the 33-year-old said being part of the world-famous team was "an absolute privilege".
"You are so focussed and working so hard to concentrate you just don't get a chance to feel scared," he added.
Group Capt Simon Blake, the Commandant of the RAF's Central Flying School, said Flt Lt Egging, known as 'Eggman', had joined the Team as Red 4 in the Autumn of 2010 and flew on the right hand outside of the famous Diamond Nine formation.
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Chief Inspector Steve White of Dorset Police: ''Sadly the pilot, who had been thrown from the aircraft, was pronounced dead at the scene''
"Throughout his winter training and the display season to date, his professionalism, skill and humility have shone through.
"A true team player, his good nature and constant smile will be sorely missed by all," he added.
Air Vice Marshal Mark Green, Air Officer Commanding 22 (Training) Group, also paid tribute to the pilot saying: "Jon's professionalism, competence and ever present smile made him stand out from the crowd."
Shaun Spencer-Perkins, who witnessed the crash from Throop Mill, said: "I heard a rushing sound and I saw a plane about 15m above the ground racing across the fields.
"It impacted and bounced across the field - made it across the river.
"Members of the public jumped into the water to search for the cockpit."
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Red Arrows Hawk T1 Aircraft
- Two-seater, single-engined advanced training aircraft
- Length: 38ft 11in (11.8m)
- Wingspan: 30ft 10in (9.5m)
- Thrust: 5,200lbs
- Max altitude: 48,000 ft (14,630 m)
- Max speed: 638 mph (1,025 km/h) in level flight and 915 mph (1,472 km/h) in a dive
- The Red Arrows are based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire
- Manufacturer: Hawker Siddeley/B A E Systems (United Kingdom)
- Used by the Red Arrows since 1979.
He said the plane had crashed about 100m from where he and his family were walking near the River Stour and debris was spread across a large area.
'Cracking sound' Another eyewitness, Nicholas Gore, 22, from Throop, was walking with a friend near the river when saw all nine Red Arrows go over."There were quite a few people watching and we saw them go over but one seemed quite low," he said.
"They then disappeared behind trees and I heard a crack - not an explosion - just a crack and we got further down and I saw the plane with its red tail in the air and its nose in the river."
Bournemouth Airport said flights were operating as normal.
A statement on its website confirmed that the airport was closed "for a short time but is now back to normal operations".
The plane plunged into a field near the River Stour Organisers of the Bournemouth Air Festival said events were continuing as scheduled.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman it was investigating the incident.
The crash site remains cordoned off by police and only people living inside the zone are being allowed access.
The Military Air Accident Investigation Branch were also admitted through the cordon to start work on identifying the cause of the crash.
All nine Red Arrows display pilots are fast jet pilots from frontline Royal Air Force squadrons.
Each aircraft can carry enough diesel and dye to create five minutes of white smoke, one minute of red and one minute of blue.
Both cockpit seats are fitted with Martin-Baker Mark 10B rocket boosted ejection seats.
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