KEY POINTS:
The shocked family of Civil Aviation inspector Jeremy Cook is expected to arrive in Europe today as salvage experts and divers continue their gruelling search for bodies and plane wreckage of the downed Air New Zealand A320 Airbus at Perpignan.
Cook, 58, was one of five New Zealanders killed when the Airbus, flown by a German pilot, ploughed into the Mediterranean during a standard maintenance flight.
At the Cook family home in Wellington suburb Hataitai, family and friends were still trying to absorb the dreadful news.
Cook's son Jonathan, a student in his 20s, said he and his mother Sally were doing "okay" given the circumstances. Last night the family took up Air New Zealand's offer to fly to Europe and were expected to join Cook's daughter Diana in England.
Cook's Hungarian neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Zilo, said the family had lived next door for about two years since moving from Christchurch.
Cook was the "best neighbour you could ask for," he said. "He was a lovely man, a real gentleman."
The acting director of Civil Aviation, Graeme Harris, said Cook was a popular engineer, an aviation enthusiast respected and liked by all in the industry.
The Herald on Sunday understands Auckland engineer Murray White's family have also taken up the Air New Zealand offer to be flown to France.
A neighbour said White, 37, and his partner, Emma were English. White had an 8-year-old son and his partner had two children from a previous relationship. "He's a great person," the neighbour said. White had worked for Air New Zealand for 19 years.
A distraught relative of Air New Zealand pilot Brian Horrell choked up yesterday as he described his cousin as the "salt of the earth", a man with a passion for flying which started with hand gliders in the 80s.
Ray Horrell, of Invercargill, talked of flying a Cessna 172 with his cousin Brian Horrell, 52.
Brian Horrell went on to get his commercial pilot's licence, flying Fokker Friendships for Air New Zealand. He later transferred to Auckland where he became a captain, flying 737s and became one of the most experienced Airbus A320 pilots.
Horrell said Brian Horrell's elderly parents Herbert and Moira were "devastated" by the loss as were his wife Shellie and daughter Olivia, 19, and son Logie, 17.
A colleague of the Horrells described him as a "good keen man" with a passion for speed.
"Brian was the salt of the earth, the sort of guy everyone loved. He had a great sense of humour. He had a passion for flying and he used to scare himself on motorbikes and jet skis." Neighbours of Christchurch engineer Michael Gyles, 49, his wife Joanne and their sons said Gyles was a good family man, a friendly neighbour. The tragedy had upset the neighbourhood.
Neighbour Betty Walsh said she waved at the Gyles' children most days and was shocked to learn what had happened to their father. "They are a tight-knit family and it's a shock to everyone. It's so sad for the boys to lose a father when they are so young."
Yesterday on the Trade Me message board was a chilling note from a member: "My husband's cousin's husband was on the Airbus, presumed dead. She pleaded with him not to go. She had a gut feeling it was doomed. Awful. Right on xm. HUGS."
