A flying enthusiast acted as co-pilot on an Air New Zealand flight to Auckland yesterday when the captain fell ill.
The packed, 33-seater plane was midway into its flight from Napier at 11am, when Captain Gary Parata went to the toilet with severe stomach cramps.
First Officer Kim Cadwalladertook over while Peter Clark, who has had a private pilot's licence for 15 years, took the chance to offer his assistance to fly the Saab 340.
"I told the hostess that I had experience and that I was willing to help.
"I have lots to do with aviation but I thought it would never ever happen in my wildest dreams as it's something you only read about," Mr Clark, an Auckland sound operator, said.
He sat in the captain's seat, reading gauges and checklists.
"Kim was very capable of flying himself and I just wanted to help as four sets of eyes are better than two, especially when you're coming in for landing."
The flight touched down smoothly, on time, at 11.30am.
Air New Zealand spokesman Richard Becht said it went "flawlessly".
"It was helpful to have Peter there but had he not been there, the first officer would have had no difficulty landing the plane on his own because that's what he is trained to do.
"No one was seriously at risk and everyone was comfortable throughout the flight. Everything went smoothly and flawlessly."
Mr Clark agreed the flight went well as he said some passengers did not notice the captain was not flying.
"Half of them didn't see the captain in the back seat or realise what was going on and it was just another normal arrival for them."
All Air New Zealand passenger planes are flown by two pilots, one a captain and the other a first officer, but Mr Becht said it was unusual for the first officer to take charge of flying.
Captain Parata was taken to Middlemore Hospital but was later discharged.
