Handsome charmer known as Peter the Perfect Pilot

Married three times and with five children, Capt Burkill, 44, is every inch the handsome, charming pilot - described by one neighbour as the "perfect man for a crisis".

His wife Maria, with whom he has three young sons, was unavailable for comment and had left the £500,000 family home in Worcester to stay with relatives.

But on Friends Reunited, Mrs Burkill, 34 - a former British Airways air hostess and Butlins Redcoat who is now a paramedic - describes her husband as "the man of my dreams".

A friend who did not wish to be named told how Capt Burkill had wanted to be a pilot since childhood.

"That's all he ever wanted to do," said the friend. "He is a very lovely man. He is very handsome and very charming. We always used to call him Peter the Perfect Pilot."

Neighbour Valerie Firminger said: "I don't think anything fazes him. I have real problems flying and he has helped me.

"If you ever wanted anyone to be in charge of a plane, you would want Peter.

"He is so perfectly cool, calm and collected. The kind of person you would want in a crisis."

Mrs Firminger told how Mrs Burkhill burst into tears when told of the crash landing.

"Marie was in a very vulnerable state, there were lots of tears and she was quite wobbly. But she is very capable - just like her husband.

"They are a lovely family. He's a great dad, great with the kids. He's just really nice and down to earth. But he is also very focused and positive." Capt Burkill grew up in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, where his elderly parents - his father is a retired pilot - still live. A neighbour, Adele Grass, said: "They are very proud of him. He did a good job."

Capt Burkill met Maria in 2002 and they married in May 2003. Their first son Troy was born in March 2005 followed by Logan, one, and Coby, born just three months ago.

He has two children Annabel, 12, and James 10, from his marriage to his second wife Sarah-Jane, who also used to work as a BA hostess.

It is understood Capt Burkill has worked as a BA pilot for almost 20 years and earns around £100,000 a year.

As might be expected from a longstanding BA employee, he likes to travel - a revelation disclosed, oddly enough, in a testimonial for a Butlins holiday camp promotion. The Burkills own a timeshare at Butlins in Minehead, Somerset. In the testimonial, Mr Burkill reveals how the family enjoys up to four holidays a year, including an annual skiing trip and a summer trip to the Caribbean.

They are such frequent flyers that Troy, aged two, has already clocked up 25,000 air miles.

Capt Burkill's handling of the Boeing 777 crisis at Heathrow earned praise from fellow pilots and airline staff today.

An airport worker who spoke to Capt Burkill said: "He told me the aircraft shut down and he lost all his power. He just glided it in and lifted the nose up and managed to get it down.

"He lost power coming in to land. If power is lost, it's very difficult to keep the wing-tips level. The pilot was marvellous. It was a fantastic bit of flying.

"This man deserves a medal as big as a frying pan. He's done a fantastic job, he really has."