SHOREHAM Airshow has been cancelled this year but bosses are already planning ahead for a return in 2017.

The organisers said the decision to cancel the event this year had been made "primarily out of respect" for the families of the 11 men killed when a Hawker Hunter jet plummeted on to the A27 during an ill-fated loop-the-loop.

However airshow director Colin Baker said they would now start to prepare for the 2017 to go ahead and a final decision on whether the show returns will be made before the end of this year.

Mr Baker - the first person from Shoreham Airshow Ltd to speak publicly following last August's disaster - told The Argus yesterday that the whole organising committee was "devastated" by the tragedy.

He said: "The tragic events that occurred in August have been completely devastating to us all. The pain and grief is with us every minute of the day but we know it is nothing to that of the families who have lost loved ones and our thoughts are with them constantly.

"We were also very concerned in the aftermath about the effect the crash might have had on the spectators and our volunteers.

"We made it a priority in the aftermath to publicise the NHS support available to members of the public and we arranged counselling for the hundreds of volunteers who had so generously given up their spare time to work at the show.

"The volunteers played a vital role in the minutes and hours after the crash, helping both those involved and the public attending the show.

"Their experiences will stay with many of them forever."

The Civil Aviation Authority introduced new temporary rules following the tragedy and has said new permanent guidelines will be announced following the conclusion of the air accident investigation.

Mr Baker added: "We considered very carefully what should be done about 2016 and consulted widely before making a decision.

"A decision will be made in regards to the future of the airshow once the AAIB report is issued and the CAA has reviewed their regulations.

"We understand that the decision to cancel the airshow may be disappointing for many who have been part of the extended Shoreham Airshow family over the years but we know that they will understand and support us in our decision."

The airshow has spent the past five months reaching the decision to cancel this year's event and the families of those affected were notified of the decision earlier this week.

Lizzie Abrahams, whose father Maurice was killed when his Daimler wedding car was hit by the stricken jet as he waited at the Sussex Pad traffic lights, said she would never be able to attend a future Shoreham Airshow and can still not bring herself to drive along that section of the A27.

She said: "I think it is the right decision to cancel the airshow this year. It would be too soon and who could have a nice day out remembering that?

"As far as next year goes potentially it could work if the show was held over the sea and not over houses or the road."

HURT TOO RAW FOR DISPLAY TO GO ON

From left: Edward Abrahams, Edwina Abrahams and Lizzie Abrahams

MAURICE Abrahams was the perfect gentleman who chauffeured hundreds of brides to the altar for the biggest day of their lives.

August 22 last year was the first time he had ever been late.

His daughter Lizzie was on holiday in the New Forest and planning to visit the Bournemouth airshow the following day when she heard there had been a plane crash at Shoreham.

Two hours later she saw a picture online of her father’s beloved Daimler crushed by the wreckage of the Hawker Hunter.

She said yesterday: “I can’t even travel on the A27 and see where my dad was killed. I don’t think there is any way I would ever be able to attend a future airshow at Shoreham.

“I think it is the right decision to cancel the airshow this year. It would be too soon and who could have a nice day out remembering that?

“As far as next year goes potentially it could work if the show was held over the sea and not over houses or the road.

“They should never have been allowed to do acrobatics over a built-up area.

“If it had been over the sea, the worst thing that can happen would obviously be a tragedy for the pilot and their family, but nothing on this scale could have happened and I wouldn’t be in this position now.

“The Red Arrows had always refused to appear at Shoreham because it wasn’t safe. If professional pilots of that calibre have taken that decision then I don’t think anyone should have been flying over that road.

“If it were to become a show like Bournemouth which is over the sea then I suppose that would be fine, but I could never go.”

A HORRIFIC MOMENT IN SUSSEX’S HISTORY WHEN A SUMMER’S DAY ENDED IN TRAGEDY

ELEVEN men were killed on August 22 last year and the whole of Sussex was horrified by the county’s biggest single peacetime loss of life on August 22 last year.

A perfect summer’s day turned to a disaster Sussex will never forget when a Hawker Hunter jet flown by pilot Andy Hill crashed on to the A27.

The tragedy claimed the lives of Maurice Abrahams, 76, from Woodingdean, cycling friends Dylan Archer, 42, from Brighton, and Richard Smith, 26, from Hove, NHS manager Tony Brightwell, 53, from Hove, Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, from Brighton, personal trainer Matt Jones, 24, from Littlehampton and Daniele Polito, 23, from Worthing, grandfather Mark Reeves, 53, from Seaford, builder Mark Trussler, 54, from Worthing and retired engineer James Graham Mallinson, 72, from Newick.

Mr Hill, 51, of Hertfordshire, was interviewed by officers from the Surrey and Sussex major crime team in December, four months after the disaster.

Mr Hill had been released from hospital in September having been left in a critical condition in a medically induced coma following the crash.

His Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)-issued licence allowed him to fly Hawker Hunter jets at a minimum height of 500ft during aerobatic manoeuvres, such as the loop-the-loop performed at Shoreham.

An Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) interim report said the ex-RAF and former British Airways pilot was 200ft above sea level when he attempted the aerobatic manoeuvre in the 1950s jet.

It also highlighted his licence only permitted him to perform stunts at a minimum height of 500ft.

He has not been arrested in connection with any crime, but investigators have said they may have to interview him again.

The tragedy was the biggest peacetime disaster Sussex has ever seen, but Shoreham has been dogged by two previous fatal plane crashes, one of them at the airshow.

James Bond stuntman Brian Brown, who appeared alongside Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies, was taking part in the 2007 show in a Hawker Hurricane when he died.

The 49-year-old, of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, was part of a mock dogfight during a Second World War re-enactment when he attempted an unplanned rolling manoeuvre over the Sussex Downs, a mile north of the airfield.

An AAIB report later found the angle of his plane meant it could not be completed at a safe height.

In 2011 Alan Weal, another former British Airways pilot, died when the light aircraft he was flying crashed into another plane mid-air during a test flight.

The other light aircraft was piloted by flying instructor Robert Rickwood, of Surrey, who was flying with instructor student Barnaby Kerr.

Mr Weal, 62, of Goring, was on his third test flight of the day following modifications to the Vans RV-6A aircraft.

The veteran pilot, who was flying the aircraft as a favour for a friend, was hailed a hero for avoiding houses as he steered the plane onto Adur Recreation Ground where he crashed, suffering fatal head and chest injuries.

Since the airshow’s inception 26 years ago it has raised more than £2million for the Royal Air Forces Association.

In it’s first year it raised £1,300 and in 2014 more than £200,000.

Shoreham Airshow Ltd is a private company run by current directors Colin Baker, Derek Harber, Dorothy Harber, Rodney Dean, Neil Harber, Andrew Lamb and Christopher Scriven.

PEOPLE WILL SUPPORT DECISION TO CANCEL

Colin Baker CBE

Colin Baker, a director of Shoreham Airshow Ltd, spoke to The Argus about plans for the future

Who has been behind the decision not to hold the show this year?

Colin Baker: The show is organised by Shoreham Airshow Ltd and we, as the company’s board of directors, consulted a number of organisations and individuals ahead of this decision both locally and nationally.

Have members of the committee spoken to the families affected?

CB: It was of the utmost importance to us that the families of those killed learned of our decision not to hold an airshow in 2016 through their police family liaison officers prior to it being publicly announced.

Was the decision to cancel the 2016 show a forgone conclusion in the immediate aftermath of the disaster?

CB: We considered very carefully what should be done about 2016 and consulted widely before making a decision.

Will there be a discussion about bringing it back in 2017 – if so when will that happen?

CB: A decision will be made in regards to the future of the airshow once the AAIB report is issued and the CAA has reviewed their regulations. The decision as to whether the 2017 show will go ahead will therefore be made by the end of 2016. In the meantime, we will work on draft plans for 2017 in case the show does go ahead.

How much money will RAFA lose as a charity by not holding the event this year?

CB: We have supported the Royal Air Forces Association from our very first airshow many years ago. In 2014 we donated £200,000 to the charity and over the years we have raised more than 2 £2 million to support their work helping RAF service personnel, veterans and their families. Obviously this is a significant amount, but we understand that the charity has put contingencies in place to ensure the services they provide across the UK can continue at their current level and that the thousands of people they support don’t suffer.

How are those involved in organising the airshow dealing with seeing the event cancelled?

CB: We understand that the decision to cancel the airshow may be disappointing for many who have been part of the extended Shoreham Airshow family over the years, but we know that they will understand and support us in our decision.