By Erin Johnson of 
Philip Whitehead suffered severe injuries when his flight hit extreme turbulence last month. Photo: PHILIP WHITEHEAD / SUPPLIED
Aucklander Philip Whitehead had expected to be home from a trip to England by now, instead he's stuck in a Thai hospital.
Whitehead's neck and back were broken when his Singapore Airlines flight from London hit extreme turbulence in May.
"I woke up on the floor of the aisle of the plane with a severely lacerated head, broken neck, broken back, cracked sternum, and a damaged lung."
Other passengers used blankets to stem the bleeding from a massive gash on his head, and it took him a while to comprehend what had happened, Whitehead said.
It was days before he learned that another passenger had died, which came as a shock, he said.
Whitehead had just returned to his seat from the bathroom when the seatbelt sign lit up and the turbulence hit suddenly.
"But there was no time to get the seatbelt on, and I woke up on the floor in a pool of blood."
The pilot diverted the flight to Bangkok, with 23 New Zealanders among the 211 passengers, and Whitehead was admitted to surgery straight away. Two titanium plates, each 15cm long, were inserted into his back to fuse his spine.
"Right now, I'm unable to walk though I'm receiving physiotherapy and doing exercises each day."
Whitehead was flying home from a two and a half week trip to England to visit his daughter, but it will be weeks, or months, before he finally arrives home.
Speaking from what he described as a five-star, private hospital room, with a personal helper at his bedside 24/7, Whitehead said Singapore Airlines is covering all his costs, and he doesn't feel alone in Bangkok.
His partner is from Thailand, and her family and friends are visiting him. And although his partner is unable to travel, they talk every day, with lots of video calls.
"Meanwhile, I've got all my customers in Auckland scratching their heads saying 'where is this guy?'."
A violin maker and restorer, Philip Whitehead wants to get better so that he can get back to work helping musicians. Photo: PHILIP WHITEHEAD / SUPPLIED
A self-employed luthier, Whitehead makes and restores violins.
"It is very important for me to get back to normal quickly so I can get back to helping musicians with their musical journey."
He is also keen to continue his Taekwondo practice. A third dan black belt, Whitehead's surgeons told him to think of his years of training as having prepared his body to get through the injuries.
"I'm so aware now how suddenly these things can happen without warning.
"My advice to everybody flying is to always wear your seatbelt, whether or not the plane is displaying its seatbelt warning lights."
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