Commander Helliwell, who coaches rugby and cricket for local schools and clubs in his spare time, was chuffed with his celebrity passenger, describing him as "a super awesome bloke".
"Another great day at Royal Air Force Coningsby," the pilot tweeted. "What a privilege to meet and fly with Richie McCaw."
Asked how McCaw "handled the G", Commander Helliwell responded: "Like a super-fit All Black #7 would - didn't flinch!" The Eurofighter Typhoon is considered the most advanced fighter jet that can reach Mach 2 (2450 km/h) maximum speed at altitude.
Black Sticks star Flynn, who travelled to Britain with McCaw's parents for the rugby milestone, took to social media to gush, comparing her man to Tom Cruise in the romantic 1986 blockbuster Top Gun.
"Had an amazing time with the Royal Air Force today with Maverick McCaw flying a Typhoon jet. Absolutely unreal," Flynn wrote on Instagram with the hashtag #topgun.
McCaw's grandfather, J.H. "Jim" McCaw, flew 300 sorties from RAF bases in World War II, mostly from Tangmere in West Sussex. The Oamaru-born aviator, nicknamed Black Mac, liked to push the limits. In 1944, McCaw snr is alleged to have saved countless lives by shooting down 21 German V1 rockets, and was even known to use the wingtips of the Hawker Tempest Mk5 planes he flew to knock missiles off course. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his attacks on German-controlled railways and missions over sea that saw 73 ships destroyed.
Max Key to DJ christmas party
First Son Max Key will make his DJ debut on Friday night with South African-born AUT graduate Joshua Troskie as music duo Troskey. They'll hit the decks at Ya Ya Club's Christmas party at the Basement bar, part of 1885 in Britomart, for members only. They started a public Facebook page this week. Surely the parliamentary press gallery Chrissy party beckons next.
Max Key (right) and Joshua Troskie are looking ultra-cool on the new Facebook page of their DJ duo Troskey.
Lorde friendly with Selena, Sarah, Taylor ... and which adult film star?
Good news! Lorde's feud with fellow pop princess Selena Gomez is over. Phew!
The young-uns evidently kissed and made up following their highly-publicised Twitter spat last year over what constitutes feminism (read: publicity ploy, probably). This week, they rubbed shoulders at the American Music Awards and fan-girled fellow bestie Taylor Swift. They partied at a private location later - and then tweeted about it.
Lorde also made the exclusive private guest list to Sarah Hyland's 24th birthday bash. The Modern Family star celebrated her birthday with celebrity pals Ellie Goulding, Taylor Swift, Jaime King, Kelly Osbourne and Hailee Steinfeld. The girls were happy to indulge their social media fans.
However, it's Lorde's social media friendship with famous male porn star James Deen, 28, which has raised eyebrows, with one British newspaper calling them "tweethearts".
The two have been exchanging tweets recently, with the adult film star (whose real name is Bryan Sevilla) complimenting the 18-year-old Kiwi's music. And Lorde sent the e-love right back.
"I recently started listening to Lorde ... Lorde is f****** awesome," Deen tweeted this week.
Lorde, who has been following him on Twitter for a year, responded by posting love hearts, adding "vice versa ... adored Wells Towers' GQ profile a couple years back," in reference to the American writer's 2012 article on Deen.
Deen was chuffed, thanking Lorde and encouraging her to "please forever continue to be awesome".
Er, we like that Our Lorde is spreading the e-love and making friends, but what would her boyfriend say?
Henare's epilepsy tweet sparks outrage
Former National MP Tau Henare came under fire from a UK charity on Monday after he took to Twitter to query whether "Lorde has epilepsy" - a suspected dig at the way she danced during her performance at the American Music Awards.
The tweet sparked outrage, and British organisation Young Epilepsy described his comment as "ridiculous", suggesting he should learn more about the condition. He says he was joking.
Last night, Lorde's mum Sonja Yelich wrote on social media: "Tau Henare " you are disgusting."
Crazy dance moves are no laughing matter for many rock stars, such as Mick Jagger, who've made a fortune with their signature style. Lorde is in good company.
5 Rock Stars With Crazy Dance Moves
1 Mick Jagger has a dance style on stage like no other - unfortunately inspiring Adam Levine to pen a grating pop anthem.
2 Iggy Pop favours violent swaggering and flailing. And sexy shirtlessness (we don't mind so much because he's ripped).
3 James Brown would employ a mish-mash of fast-footed funky moves, from high kicks to the splits.
4 Axl Rose likes to spin maniacally on stage, especially in his first incarnation with Guns N'Roses.
5 Ian Curtis from Joy Division had an unmistakable dance style, often involving flailing arms and wild-man eyes. He occasionally suffered from epilepsy.
