Kayla Mitchell grew up wanting to be an airline flight attendant, but today she's directing helicopters to and from Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) vessels.
Petty Officer Writer Mitchell, originally from Hāwera, is one of the newest qualified Flight Deck Officers of the RNZN, supervising the flight deck and coordinating helicopter arrivals, loading and departures.
This month she renewed her qualifications in the Hauraki Gulf with a day-long series of evaluations on HMNZS Canterbury with Royal New Zealand Air Force NH-90 and Seasprite SH2-G(I) helicopters.
It's a skill on top of her usual role as Ship's Writer, or Operational Administrator.
"The Ship's Writer supports operations, the ship's aims and capabilities," Petty Officer Writer Mitchell said.