BRAVE PILOT
(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 9. A citation from the Queen commending the courage and skill of a civil aviation pilot, Captain B. H. Packer, was presented at a special ceremony at the R.N.Z.A.F. station at Whenuapai tonight. The award was made in recognition of Captain Packer’s part in the dramatic rescue of an Air Force pilot who ditched off the Taranaki
coast on November 10, 1962. The pilot, Flying Officer G. G. Millward, on a flight from Ohakea to Whenuapai, was forced to abandon his aircraft, a Harvard, when it filled with smoke about 15 miles north-west of Tairua point.
An amphibian, belonging to Tourist Air Travel, Ltd., and piloted by Captain Packer, was immediately sent out to pick up Flying Officer Millward.
It arrived at twilight and Captain Packer was faced with a very difficult decision in view of the swell which was running and the impending darkness. He did not hesitate to land and, according to the citation, placed himself in danger by doing so. With Flying Officer Millward on board, Captain Packer took the amphibian safely back into the air under very difficult conditions. The amphibian, not equipped for night flying, landed safely at Whenuapai an hour after nightfall.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30568, 10 October 1964, Page 3
Word Count
205BRAVE PILOT Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30568, 10 October 1964, Page 3
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