A PORT Glasgow man has described how he saved the life of an airline pilot who choked on his lunch.
Baggage handler Craig Potter stepped in after noticing the pilot rush off the plane while it was on the tarmac at Glasgow Airport.
The quick-thinking dad first patted the pilot on the back and then, when that didn’t work, performed the Heimlich manoeuvre on him to clear the blockage.
Craig has now been recognised with a top award from the Civil Aviation Authority for his actions.
The 36-year-old told the Tele: "He was sitting in the front seat, having his lunch. The next moment he jumped off the plane.
"The co-pilot was in the toilet at the back and the air stewardess was also at the back of the plane.
"There was only me and my colleague Ian Templeton there.
“He was violently choking and patting on his chest. He looked at me and Ian and mouthed ‘help me’.
“I turned him around and patted his back, but nothing was happening. So I grabbed him under the arms and squeezed hard.
“I'm not medically trained, I don't know what the technique is called, but it worked, and the food went down the way.
"He got the fright of his life. Ian told me that the pilot’s face had started to turn blue.
"Then, when he took the first gasp of air, and once he got his breath back, he got a bit wobbly, as if he was going to collapse.
"I took him in my arms underneath his shoulders and he started to breathe a bit better.
"He was so grateful. He said 'I'm all right, thanks for helping me, you saved my life’."
Craig said the adrenalin started to kick in and all that was going through his mind was 'this guy is going to choke to death'.
“I had to step in to do something,” he added
"It happened in a matter of seconds but it felt like a long time.
"He was really panicking. If Ian and I hadn’t been there he could have choked to death or passed out.”
Craig, a former pupil at Port Glasgow High School, has worked for Menzies Aviation for the last 10 years.
He now lives in Renfrew with his wife Louise and their three children, Ellie, 14, Kai, 6, and four-year-old Daisy.
His parents, Lorna and Danny, still live in Port Glasgow, in Benview Avenue.
Craig said nothing about the incident, which happened in December, until it came up in conversation with his health and safety manager a month and a half later.
Craig’s manager flagged it to company bosses, and Craig was nominated for a ‘Super Hero’ accolade from the CAA.
The award was presented at a prestigious ceremony in Manchester.
He continued: "I'm just a baggage handler from Glasgow Airport and here I was at this corporate ceremony.
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"Mine was the last name to be called and I just shouted 'you dancer' and everybody just cheered for me.
“They said it was the best award, so they left it until last. My boss, who made it happen, could see I was overwhelmed.
“I’m still on a high. It’s a big thing for Glasgow Airport and for Menzies Aviation.
“It was an honour to be nominated, but it’s even better to win it.”
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