An RAF Lyneham pilot died on Thursday after a light aircraft he was flying in crashed into an Essex fishing lake.

Flight Lieutenant Simon Hulme, 33, who used to live in Bristol Street, Malmesbury before moving to Cirencester two years ago, was a keen aerobatic pilot.

The vintage Yak plane was discovered by search teams nose-down into the water, with its tail ten feet below the surface.

The Yak two-seater aerobatic trainer was flying in formation with two other planes, which returned safely to their destination at North Weald airfield near Epping.

Unmarried and without children, Mr Hulme had many friends in Malmesbury including Smoking Dog landlord Martin Bridge.

He said: “He was such a lovely guy, always smiling and having a laugh.

“There is not a bad word I could say about him.

“It is a terribly sad loss.”

Mr Bridge said Mr Hulme’s home became a meeting place for the many RAF personnel who lived in the town before they, like Mr Hulme, moved away to be closer to RAF Brize Norton where Lyneham’s activities will be relocated.

He said: “Simon had loads of friends, there was a big group of them in Malmesbury and his house was the centre.

“He had a basement and I fitted a bar there so it kind of became known as the unofficial nightclub of Malmesbury when the pubs shut at 11pm.

“That’s how I remember him as a really sociable guy who was always willing to help people.”

His former Bristol Street housemate and RAF colleague Mike Tunstall met Mr Hulme on an RAF skiing championship in the Alps and, following the trip, he moved in.

Mr Tunstall, who now lives in Hullavington, said: “He was a very good skier.

“After that trip he kindly let me move in and be his lodger.

“It was partly down to Si that I met my wife Sarah.

“She lived opposite and they knew each other from their university days.

“At our wedding at Malmesbury Abbey Si was in the guard of honour.”

Flight Lieutenant Hulme’s family paid tribute to their only child in a statement .

They said: “Our much loved son, Flight Lieutenant Simon B Hulme, lost his life in a flying accident on April 28 while flying in a vintage Russian-built Yak aircraft. He had been in the Royal Air Force for 12 years based at RAF Lyneham where he was a captain on the ‘J’ model Hercules.

“He was a qualified flying instructor and had served both in Iraq and Afghanistan with distinction.

“Simon, our only child, was a credit to us and gives us comfort to know he died doing a job he dearly loved.

“He had two families, us and the RAF; we therefore request privacy to allow us to grieve in peace.”

Station Commander, Group Captain John Gladston, said the death had come as terrible news to all at RAF Lyneham.

“Si was a well-known and popular officer whose passion was flying and adventurous training,” he said.

“I remember Si most for his infectious enthusiasm and energy, and his terrific sense of humour.

“He was a gifted aerobatic pilot who devoted a great deal of his time to flying outside of the service. Whilst he died doing what he enjoyed most, it makes his loss no easier for those that knew him."