Herne Bay air show organisers say the horrific crash in Shoreham has made them question whether they will organise a similar event in the future.

Pilot Andy Hill had written to the Bay Promo Team this week thanking them for inviting him to take part as part of the RV8tors display team in Herne Bay on August 15.

But he now remains in a critical condition in hospital after crashing into the A27 while flying a Hawker Hunter jet aircraft over the skies of Sussex on Saturday.

Bay Promo Team spokesman Gerald McCarthy said the tragedy has brought spectator safety into sharp focus.

Mr McCarthy said: “There are no real words for it, it’s a very tragic accident. It’s made us feel sick to the stomach, it’s been a real eye opener. You can’t make the audience unsee what has happened.

“It was very close to home because I had an email this week from Andy thanking us for inviting him along to the air show.

“With the death of the other pilot in the Gnats display team who crashed it has really brought home that this is the sharp end of entertainment, and when it goes wrong it can go wrong catastrophically.”

There are fears that as many as 20 people could be dead following the Shoreham disaster, and it follows the death of Gnats display pilot Kevin Whyman at CarFest in Cheshire last month.

Now the UK’s aviation regulator has announced there could be “significant restrictions” on vintage jets appearing at air shows.

Mr McCarthy said the events have forced the Bay Promo Team to think long and hard about whether they wish to stage a similar event in future, despite the event being hailed as a huge success with 70,000 visitors to the seafront.

He added: “There are now all sorts of shouts for air shows to be reviewed in terms of spectator safety. This is probably the worst accident in history.

“Unfortunately it has happened in Shoreham as the location, but it could have been anywhere. We are having a good chat about whether we want to progress with it in the future.

"We’ve got all sorts of thoughts. We need to walk away and take stock of what’s happened.”

Andy Hill had not used the ejector from the Hawker Hunter jet, and had to be pulled from the wreckage of the crash on Saturday.

He is renowned as one of Britain’s top pilots and has flown for the RAF and for British Airways, and even built his own aircraft in his back garden with his wife Ellie.

He began the project to build the RV-8 G-HILZ aircraft in 2005, and was a partner in the RV8tors display over the skies of Herne Bay on August 15.

Mr McCarthy added that the thoughts of the Bay Promo Team are with the families and friends of those who have tragically lost their lives as a result of the disaster.