THE heartbroken widow of Eastleigh airport worker Peter Shave has pleaded with a consor-tium of aviation enthusiasts to abandon their plans to rebuild and fly the Catalina seaplane.

Mr Shave and Southampton mayor Mike Andrews died when the Catalina craft - which was Britain's only operational flying boat - was on a VIP flight over Southampton Water last July.

Earlier this week the Daily Echo revealed that the seaplane could be flying again within six months. But the civic leader's former part-ner, Elizabeth Longman, branded the decision to rebuild and fly the Catalina as "insensitive" and "selfish". Now 42-year-old Denise Shave has joined in the condemnation.

She said: "I completely go along with everything that the mayor's partner has said."

Mrs Shave did not know anything of the plans to rebuild and fly the Catalina until she read the Daily Echo's front page article in Monday's paper. Speaking last night (Tuesday) from her Eastleigh town centre home to the Daily Echo she said: "I think it is absolutely abysmal and totally insensitive to even think of doing this.

"I would appeal to them to think again and respect the memory of the two men who died."

Mrs Shave, who spoke of how she and her two children were still coming to trying to come to terms with the tragedy, added: "I am still in shock about what happened."

Pointing out that they were coming up for the first anniversary of the Catalina disaster, Mrs Shave spoke of how they had to face up to the reminder of a tragedy which cruelly snatched away the life of a devoted family man.

"We have to get over these next couple of months, and to hear that they want to fly the Catalina again has come as a real kick in the stomach."

Mr Shave, 43, who worked for Aurigny Air Services, had taken up a spare seat in the seaplane to fulfil an ambition to sit inside a Catalina flying boat.

No-one from the consortium was available for comment.

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