For Mittagong Ranger Guide Adelaide Pilt, she is establishing herself as a capable prospective pilot.

Miss Pilt was presented with the silver cross award, the highest honour in the Queen’s Guide Award scheme, after she saved a plane from crashing at Goulburn Airport while flying solo in February. Girl Guides state commissioner Sarah Neill travelled to Mittagong Girl Guide Hall recently to present Miss Pilt with the award.

Miss Pilt challenged herself to take up flying lessons as a part of the Queen’s Guide Award.

It was just after her third take off when her plane failed and she was forced to prevent the plane from crashing.

At the time of the incident, Miss Pilt was 500 feet in the air, and she started losing 200 feet per minute.

Her instructor was not on the other end of the radio, so she used her few minutes of possible flight time to work out a solution. She put in a mayday call to a nearby helicopter and landed the plane in a paddock.

“I’m very excited to be awarded this cross,” Miss Pilt said. “When I found out the news at a guide meeting, I was in shock.”

State commissioner Sarah Neill said the silver cross was a rare achievement for a girl guide. “The silver cross hasn’t been awarded in more than 20 years,” she said.

“It’s so exciting to see our young girls being acknowledged for living by their guiding values.”

The silver cross is awarded to Girl Guides under the age of 18 who display an act of courage or great heroism, or face considerable risk to their own life.