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One beautiful, sunny afternoon in August 2011 I was on a beach with friends, watching my husband, Jon Egging, perform at an air show near Bournemouth. I knew something wasn’t right when he didn’t telephone me afterwards from the airfield. He always called me when he landed to say he was safe but this time my mobile stayed silent. Because I was watching the display from the beach, I hadn’t seen the crash that killed him.
2011年8月，一个风和日丽的下午，我与朋友们在伯恩茅斯(Bournemouth)附近的海边，观看我先生乔恩?埃金(Jon Egging)的飞行表演。表演结束后他没有从飞行基地打电话给我，那时我就意识到有什么不对劲。以前，他每次一着陆就会给我打电话报平安，但这一次，我的手机一直没响。我是在海边观看表演的，因此我没有看到那次要了他命的坠机。
Jon was a pilot with the Royal Air Force Red Arrows. He was 33 and coming to the end of his first year with the aerobatic team. I watched him perform many times but the Bournemouth Air Festival was always one of the highlights of the season. The main display takes place along the seafront, which is a spectacular backdrop for an airshow but a few miles from Bournemouth Airport, where the team was based that day.
乔恩是英国皇家空军“红箭”飞行表演队(Royal Air Force Red Arrows)的飞行员。飞机失事那一年他33岁，在“红箭”队即将待满一年。我曾多次观看他的表演，但伯恩茅斯飞行节(Bournemouth Air Festival)一直是当季的最大亮点之一。主要的飞行表演都在海滨上空进行。对飞行表演来说，海滨是绝好的背景，但距离表演队当天的基地伯恩茅斯机场(Bournemouth Airport)有几英里远。
I had been especially excited when I woke that morning because the weather had been atrocious, and, for once, the skies were clear. That meant the Reds could perform their full display, not hampered by the cloud cover that can restrict their formations. So this would be the first time I had watched Jon complete the full display.
那天早晨，我一睁眼就感到特别兴奋，因为天空万里无云。之前“红箭”队表演时，天公一直不作美，只有这次是个好天儿。这意味着，“红箭”表演队这次能够完成全套表演，不会因云层遮挡影响编队而无法完成全部动作。因此，这将是我第一次观看乔恩完成全套表演。
The inquest later heard that as the Red Arrows approached the airport to land, Jon blacked out due to the effects of G-force. Moments later his Hawk T1 aircraft crashed into a field and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
后来的调查发现，在“红箭”队接近机场准备降落时，乔恩在重力的作用下突然失去知觉。片刻之后，他驾驶的鹰式教练机Hawk T1撞向地面，他被当场宣布死亡。
The rest of that time was all a bit of a blur but I remember the support and help I received from so many of Jon’s friends and colleagues. He loved seeing the world from above and was fulfilling a dream flying with the Red Arrows. Being in the air was so cathartic for him.
有关那段时间的其余记忆都有点模糊了，但我记得乔恩的那么多朋友和同事给了我支持和帮助。乔恩生前热爱从天上俯瞰世界，在“红箭”队驾驶飞机是在实现他的一个梦想。对他来说，在空中飞行的感觉是如此畅快。
I met Jon at Southampton University, where I was studying archaeology. There were lots of clubs and societies to join but the air squadron caught my eye. To be honest, flying didn’t come naturally to me because I found it quite scary. I think my instructor realised I wasn’t a pilot when we were training over Salisbury Plain. I was more interested in the archaeological features below than trying to fly straight and level.
我是在南安普顿大学(University of Southampton)遇到乔恩的，当时我学的是考古。学校里有很多俱乐部和社团，但“空军中队”吸引了我。老实说，我并不适合开飞机，因为我觉得那相当恐怖。我觉得，在沙利斯伯利平原(Salisbury Plain)上空训练时，我的指导老师就意识到了我不是当飞行员的料。我更感兴趣的是那些有关考古的地面特征，而非如何飞出一条水平直线。
Jon was a dynamic, self-assured man who was also very welcoming. He was extremely motivated. Flying was what made him tick, and, after university, he went straight to RAF College Cranwell for officer training. He became an instructor on Hawk training jets and later flew a Harrier in Afghanistan, before joining the Red Arrows in 2010. I was working as an archaeologist at the British Museum and we eventually settled down in a little cottage in Rutland, close to Jon’s base at RAF Scampton. We married in June 2010 at our village church in Morcott and loved being part of the community there.
乔恩是个有活力、有自信的小伙子，而且非常热情。他很上进。飞行是他生活的动力。大学毕业后，他直接参加了克兰韦尔皇家空军学院(RAF College Cranwell)的军官培训课程。后来他成为Hawk教练机的飞行教员，接着在阿富汗驾驶Harrier飞机，再后来于2010年加入了“红箭”队。我当时是大英博物馆(British Museum)的考古学家。最后，我们在拉特兰郡一座农家小屋安下了家，这里离乔恩所在的皇家空军斯坎普顿基地很近。2010年6月，我们在茅科特(Morcott)的乡村教堂结婚，愉快地成为了当地社区的一分子。
When we were at home together, Jon and I sometimes talked about the idea of setting up a charity to help young people achieve their full potential. Every time Jon pulled on his red flying suit, it was such a powerful magnet. People wanted to listen to what he had to say and looked up to him. We discussed how this might be harnessed to help youngsters build confidence and self-esteem.
乔恩和我两人在家的时候，有时会说起想创办一家慈善组织，帮助年轻人实现他们的全部潜能。每当乔恩穿上他那身红色的飞行服，他就会散发出无穷的魅力。人们愿意听他讲话，对他无比尊敬。我们曾讨论过，或许可以利用这点帮助年轻人建立信心和自尊。
Setting up a charity in Jon’s name helped me get through the sadness and negativity. I work for the charity full time now and we have already helped 50 young people to better their lives through our Blue Skies programme.
以乔恩的名义创办一家慈善组织，帮助我度过了那段悲伤而消极的日子。我现在全职为这家慈善组织工作。通过我们的蓝天计划(Blue Skies)，我们已帮助50位年轻人改善了他们的生活。
Since the accident I have watched the Red Arrows perform at other events. It was a little strange but the team has helped me so much since Jon died. They have always been very supportive.
自那次事故以来，我还观看过“红箭”队的其他一些飞行表演。这有点奇怪，但自乔恩去世后，“红箭”队给了我莫大的帮助。他们一直非常热心。
I will always remember the special times I shared with Jon and the essence of the man – he was my best friend, husband and supporter. I’m sure that he would have wanted me to carry on with that idea we shared together to help other youngsters fulfil their own dreams.
我将永远铭记我与乔恩共度的那些珍贵时光，以及他的优秀品质。他曾是我最好的朋友，也是我的先生和支持者。我相信，他会希望我继续完成我们当初共同怀有的理想，帮助其他年轻人实现他们的梦想。
