A QUALIFIED commercial airline pilot was killed when the light aircraft in which he was a passenger on a pleasure flight, crashed in to a field in his home state of Georgia, USA.

Leigh-born Christopher Yates, 41, who emigrated to the United States on Independence Day 1989, and who worked for Delta Airlines, was with a pilot pal on August 17 when the plane in which they were travelling came down eight minutes after take off from the Richard B Russell Airport in Rome, near Atlanta. Both men lost their lives.

Bravery award winner and Olympic judge, Chris, who was brought up in Lowton, will be cremated at Howe Bridge today (Thursday) following a Requiem Mass at St Catherine of Sienna RC Church, Lowton, at 12.30pm attended by family and friends from both Leigh and America.

Chris, a former pupil at Sacred Heart Primary School in Leigh, and St Aelred's High at Newton began work as an apprentice welder at Case Tractors at Glazebury where he became an inspector.

A keen Howe Bridge badminton player, his interest in stock car racing took him to America and he decided he wanted to live there. Only six weeks ago he moved into a beautiful new home.

On moving to Denver, Colorado he became a telephone technician, but in 1991 decided he wanted to be a pilot and moved to Atlanta to become a steward with Delta Airlines, a job which brought him on many trips home to Manchester Airport to see devastated mum, Joan, at Elton Close, Lowton, and his 47 year-old brother Paul, of Slag Lane.

In 1999 Chris and four other cabin crew members were awarded the Delta's top bravery honour when they tackled a man who had gone berserk on a flight which had to be diverted to Bangor, Maine.

As a result Chris received a knee injury which ended the badminton career which had also brought him the glory of being selected to be a line judge at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

During his career as a steward Chris left Atlanta for pilot school in Orlando, Florida, and funded his own training by continuing to work.

Two years later he qualified as a commerical graded airline pilot but because of the Twin Towers horror was unable to find a pilot's job.

He returned to Atlanta and became a senior training steward, a job he held at the time of his tragic death.

Mum Joan said: "It is ironic that he was flying jets and yet was killed in a pleasure plane. He phoned home every week and came home regularly. He even took me to Hawaii for my 70th birthday.

"He had been on the phone only hours before leaving on his last flight to tell me he was going, but it was too hot and they were going to wait a couple of hours. That was the last time I spoke to him, I can't believe I will never see him again, but he lived in the last few years what a lot of people would not have done in a lifetime."

Family and friends, Mario and Jane Manfredi, flew out to Atlanta for a service attended by 1,000 friends, directors and colleagues at Delta Airline HQ before bringing Chris's body home.

Joan said: "I can't thank the people of America enough for what they have done for us. We can never repay the company and Chris's friends for the way they cared and looked after us like royalty. I can understand why he would never want to come and live back here."

Lifelong friend, Mario, said: "He loved life in America and America loved him. It is a comfort to his mum to know that he was cared for so much. We shall all miss him desperately."