Kate Chivers, founder of the Kent Air Ambulance, has paid tribute to the three crew 10 years on.

She said: “After the crash the crews were determined to fly again. It would have been a great disservice to the men who died if the service did not run again.

“There was immense support for the air ambulance following the crash. The public were stricken with disbelief and sadness. There was a huge outpouring of grief. Everyone shared in the horror of the tragedy.

“I had worked hard to establish the air ambulance and it had become our air ambulance. People in Kent felt it was theirs and in particular the people of Rochester.

“For a long time it was always in the back of people’s minds. We will never forget because those men will always be in our memories.”