A MILITARY doctor was on cloud nine after being told that Tom Hanks would be teaching her helicopter drills.

But she soon came down to earth on discovering that her instructor was not the Oscar-winning actor but a Royal Navy pilot namesake.

Dr Rachel Bernardi, a medical officer with the Territorial Army's 201 Field Hospital, in Newcastle, was shown in-flight procedures including emergency drills by officer Hanks during the unit's annual camp, in Shropshire and Snowdonia.

While he may have lacked the film star's acting ability, he did a first-rate job of familiarising the Sunderland GP with helicopter procedures, enabling her to take part in casualty evacuations by air.

She said: "I've only flown in helicopters once, but I expect to do so again before too long.

"Tom was really helpful and an excellent instructor - I couldn't have asked for better."