Trailblazer pilot Ann Barbarich farewelled
Friday, 7 November 2014
A pilot who collapsed and died after landing her jet has been farewelled by hundreds of mourners.
Friends, family and colleagues packed the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell for the funeral of Ann 'Captain Annie' Barbarich this morning.
There were so many Air New Zealand staff and crew Reverend John Goodwin remarked the airline's entire fleet must have been grounded.
It's thought she suffered an aneurism.
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Friends, family and colleagues described Barbarich as a devoted mother and wife, an excellent pilot and an adventurous spirit with a passion for flying, travel, shopping and fine wine.
As well as 15,000 flight hours Barbarich had clocked up hundreds of sky dives and had saved the lives of her passengers not once, but twice.
Colleagues Brad Bason and Air New Zealand's chief of flight operations David Morgan described her averting disaster on two flights - once when a flock of seagulls caused an engine failure, and another on a regional flight in New Zealand when a baby started convulsing on board.
Morgan said Barbarich had handed the plane's controls to her co-pilot so she could perform CPR on the infant who was immediately taken to hospital after the plane landed safely.
Her husband of 25 years, Michael, spoke emotionally of meeting a 'beautiful blonde' in Matamata.
They had two children together, Bianca and Alex, with Bianca, 22, saying her mother 'could light up a room or a flight deck with her smile'.
'She squeezed every bit out of her life.'
Barbarich was known as a trailblazer for becoming an expert flyer in what was a male dominated industry.
Her career spanned 27 years of international and domestic flights and Morgan said Air New Zealand staff were in 'shock' and had a 'keen sense of loss'.
A flyover at the church had been scheduled for midday.