The funeral of a hero pilot who saved hundreds of lives when he kept his cool after an ash cloud cut all of his plane's engines will take place in Hampshire on Friday. 

Retired British Airways pilot Captain Eric Moody has died, aged 84. 

A loving husband to Pat, father to Iain and Sarah and a grandfather, the lifelong Saints fan and former season ticket holder entered aviation folklore in 1982 when he saved the lives of 263 people. 

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Four engines of a Boeing 747 he was piloting stopped at 37,000ft when it flew through an ash plume following an eruption of the Mount Galunggung volcano close to Jakarta, Indonesia.

Captain Moody famously told passengers: "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. 

"All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them under control. I trust you are not in too much distress."

In what has become known as the 'Jakarta Incident', Captain Moody glided Flight 009 to 12,000ft before, after 12 minutes without power, the engines were restarted, allowing it to land safely.

Ten years ago, he appeared in the pages of the Daily Echo giving his thoughts on the biggest mystery in aviation history

Speaking from his home in Chilworth, he told how he and his pilot son were baffled by the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines MH370 but he believed the plane was 'brought down deliberately'.

Eric featured in many documentaries and a special episode of QI. Tributes have been paid from across the world with posts describing him as "heroic", "the epitome of British calmness and professionalism" and "a legend".

Eric is believed to have grown up in the Totton area, attending Peter Symonds in Winchester, Hamble, BOAC and BA. He lived in Surrey during his flying days, returning to Hampshire after his retirement in 1996 and living in Chilworth and Romsey. 

His funeral service is due to take place on Friday (April 19) at Test Valley Crematorium near Romsey at 1pm. Donations are being collected for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.