Paul Hollywood helped rescue a pilot who crashed his small plane into the middle of a field.
The Great British Bake Off judge was in the middle of a helicopter flying lesson when he and his instructor noticed the mayday call from Manston Airport in Kent about a plane’s emergency landing on Tuesday.
Hollywood hovered down to the field and landed, before he and his trainer dashed over to help pilot Iain Stingmore, 58.
Stingmore explained that he “lost all airspeed” when his plane’s canopy snapped off shortly after he took off, forcing him to make an emergency landing.
He emerged from the wreckage without any serious injuries, but sustained a bruised rib and cuts to his leg.
Recalling the crash-landing and seeing Hollywood walking towards him, he told MailOnline: “[I thought] ‘Oh god, it’s Paul Hollywood.’ The first thing he said was, ‘Are you okay?’ and luckily enough I was.”
Stingmore - who got his licence two years ago - added: “He stayed with me for about half an hour checking over me and asking me if I needed anything. I was really grateful for that.
“I even joked it was a shame he didn’t bring any cakes. He was a great bloke, I couldn’t have asked for any more.”
Describing the crash, Stingmore added that his plane’s canopy became loose and flew off behind the aircraft, prompting the plane to “just drop”.
He recalled making an effort not to “panic” and made a “clean” landing without much damage to the plane.
Five fire engines attended the scene after the crash, which happened at midday.
Hollywood began learning to fly a helicopter in 2022 in a bid to escape the “madness” of the showbusiness industry.
“It’s just you, a machine, and you’re away from all the madness. Of course I’m a bit nervous. But up there you’ve got total freedom,” he told The Times.
Last August, he posted a snap of himself in the aircraft on Instagram, writing: “Managed to fly solo!! Always wanted to learn. A big life tick!”
While the celebrity cook seems to be loving his new hobby, his neighbours in Ashford, Kent, are reportedly less enthused.
Last year, residents near his home complained about the noise of his helicopter trips, accusing him of “buzzing back and forth every few days”.
An anonymous neighbour told MailOnline some of the residents have horses and other animals who are “very disturbed” by the noise.
