The plane crashed off the Isles of Scilly

Arthur Record and Denis Stanley, both 82, and their pilot Bernard Maslin were rescued by a fishing boat after their single engined Cessna 172 went down three miles off the Isles of Scilly.

The three former search and rescue helicopter pilots went into the sea after the plane's engine failed at about 1130 BST on Saturday.

Mr Record, who served in the Fleet Air Arm during World War II and is currently living in York, said at hospital in Truro, Cornwall: "Thank God I am alive."

And Mr Stanley, from Chedworth, Gloucestershire, said: "It has not put me off flying."

We all had to be quick, because the front end of the aircraft was sinking very quickly Arthur Record

Former Navy helicopter pilot Mr Maslin, from Cirencester, who was the last to be pulled from the water, was said by a hospital spokesman to be still undergoing tests.

Tributes to his flying skill was paid by Mr Record, who said: "Bernard did a superb, classic ditch landing."

The trio were all members of the Fleet Air Arm Squadron who meet once a month and go flying, and were staying at the Land's End hotel.

Mayday call

Their aircraft was one of nine which set off from Land's End for a day out in the Scillies.

Mr Record said they were six or seven miles from the Scillies when their engine cut out at about 2,000 foot and sent a mayday.

"We saw a boat, decided it was our best chance to glide down as near as possible to it.

"I got out of the plane when I was underwater. I took a deep breath and popped up to the surface.

We all had lifejackets on - I would not be here to tell the tale if I had not Arthur Record

"We all had to be quick, because the front end of the aircraft was sinking very quickly.

"We were all underwater as we got out. As I came up I thought 'thank God I am alive'.

"We all had lifejackets on - I would not be here to tell the tale if I had not."

They praised the crew of the trawler Semper Allegro which picked them out of the sea within 10 minutes.

They were airlifted to hospital by a Sea King helicopter based at RNAS Culdrose to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske.

All three men suffered mild hypothermia, said a hospital spokesman.

They were lucky the fishing boat saw them and went straight to them Allan Hicks, Isles of Scilly Airport

The rescue operation was co-ordinated by coastguards at Falmouth with the help of staff at the Isles of Scilly Airport.

The manager of the Isles of Scilly Airport on St Mary's, Allan Hicks, said: "The pilot reported engine trouble, he thought it was fuel, sent out a mayday and ditched south of the island of St Martin's.

"They were lucky the fishing boat saw them and went straight to them."

He said other aircraft in the group landed safely.

Spencer Robertson, an engineer on the Semper Allegro, said: "The three gentlemen were in the water with lifejackets on and they were coherent. They spoke to us as we got alongside.