The hunter, rescued by a helicopter pilot now facing prison time for flying on a suspended license, is sure he would be dead without the pilot’s intervention.

Dave Armstrong has today pleaded guilty to flying without a medical certificate in April last year, following a mini-stroke 2-years earlier.

He flew a doctor and rescue teams into the Puhi Puhi valley to treat Scott Lee, a hunter who'd down a bank and broke his leg.

Mr Lee said he was suffering hypothermia, which could have killed him if Armstrong hadn’t managed to find him.

"Their ability to locate me - they couldn't hear me yelling out to them, it was only when we had line of sight that they got to me. Dave's decision that day saved my life."

Scott Lee said he will be supporting Armstrong’s application for a discharge without conviction when he is sentenced in December.