Air force Squadron Leader Nicholas Cree, a member of the air force aerobatics group the Red Checkers, was killed while practising an aerobatics manoeuvre at Santoft, west of Bulls in Manawatu.
Helicopter pilot Jason Dellow said he had seen Sqn Ldr Cree make an emergency landing in a field near Ohakea about two months ago after his Tiger Moth stalled during a manoeuvre.
"He [Sqn Ldr Cree] was pretty jovial about it. He was laughing and saying the air force probably wouldn't let him fly the plane again," he told the Dominion Post.
Mr Dellow was spraying gorse nearby when the fatal crash occurred on Thursday, and heard the mayday call from a teammate of Sqn Ldr Cree.
"We're not supposed to interrupt their frequency but I thought, 'Jeez, if the thing is on fire then I can help'," he told the newspaper.
Within three minutes he had dropped 400 litres of water from tanks attached to his helicopter on the burning wreckage of the CT4 air trainer, then directed emergency services to the site.
"The plane was on fire big-time. I was lucky my first dump of water was right on target and it put 99 percent of the fire out," Mr Dellow said.
His quick actions meant air crash investigators had a better chance of finding out what caused the crash as there was more of the aircraft left to examine.
"If it had burned for another 15 to 20 minutes, there wouldn't have been much of a wreckage to play with," Mr Dellow said.
Two investigations - that of the wreckage and a Court of Inquiry - were under way but could take more than a month to complete.
Sqn Ldr Cree's younger brother, Elliot Cree, yesterday said his brother was a family man, who was always there for his relatives.
"He was the best brother, son and friend anyone could ask for." He was "so proud" of his new son Jackson and loved his wife Sarah so much, Mr Cree said.
"Nick would have no regrets, as he had done almost everything in his 32 years. He farmed, was building his dream home, had a gorgeous son and married the girl of his dreams.
"We are all going to miss him so much."
