Kaikoura pilot Dave Armstrong has been convicted and fined for flying a helicopter during a rescue operation while suspended in April last year.
Armstrong took over the controls from a junior pilot to rescue Christchurch hunter Scott Lee and his girlfriend Lisa McKenzie from a remote area of bush north of Kaikoura on April 5 last year.
Mr Hunter broke his femur after falling 50 metres and was left in a precarious position.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) prosecuted Armstrong on three counts of breaching the Civil Aviation Act. He pleaded guilty to the charges in October.
The first charge was in relation to the April 5 event for which he was fined $2000 and the second on April 21, when Armstrong again operated a helicopter to search for missing kayakers, which he was fined $3000.
The final charge was for failing to fill out his pilots' log book, which he was fined $800. In total he was ordered to pay $5800.
Armstrong had his medical certificate revoked in 2012 because of a medical scare in which he suffered a suspected transient ischaemic attack, commonly thought of as a mini stroke.
The prosecutor said Armstrong had shown "sustained contempt for aviation rules" by continuing to fly without a medical certificate.
Affidavits had been provided by medical staff, Mr Hunter, and members of police for the case.
Judge Tony Couch said in Christchurch District Court today that flying is an inherently dangerous activity and the offending was deliberate and premeditated by Armstrong.
He said they were not isolated events as Armstrong had admitted to flying without a medical certificate on another two occasions. Those flights were outside the 12-month prosecution timeframe for the CAA however.
Rescued hunter Mr Lee was in court today and said he could never thank Armstrong enough for saving his life.
He thought something needed to be done in relation to CAA rules and being able to fly in life or death situations.
"I'm really gutted for Dave, like for him and his family what they've been through and now to get a conviction after all of this is just devastating," he said.
Judge Couch said the gravity of the offending was moderate to serious but did accept Armstrong was of good character. However, his offending was not out of proportion to the charges brought against him and therefore ruled against a discharge without conviction.
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