Donegal hot stepper Daniel O'Donnell reached take-off on Strictly Come Dancing with an airline-teamed dance to Frank Sinatra classic Fly Me to The Moon, with the judges awarding him and partner Kristina Rihanoff 23 points out of a possible 40.
Daniel, dressed in full airline captain's uniform and Kristina, dressed in a backless vintage air hostess dress, wheeled around the floor and Daniel completed the lifts he was so dreading in the run-up to tonight's show.
After their performance, judge Bruno Tonioli awarded the pair six points and said: "You were flying premium economy. It was adequate but you need to go for the wow factor now."
Fellow judge Craig Revel Horwood marked the pair with a five and said: "That number needs swing and sway and I think you got it right but it was lacking in style. Daniel, you have musicality on your side but it needs to be more dynamic."
Woooohooo! #DanielODonnell and @KRihanoff have landed smoothly! #Strictly ✈️ pic.twitter.com/CPjFYqwnjJ
— BBC Strictly (@bbcstrictly) October 17, 2015
Darcy Bussell gave the couple six points, saying: "The take-off and landing on the lifts was good. You've got to get over those nerves and give more."
Also awarding a six, Len Goodman said: "There was a nice easy feel to that. You were flying Easyjet. There was a lovely flow but you need to go for it a little bit more."
The aviation puns were still flying after the performance. Daniel said, "We hit an air pocket but I'm happy that we took off and landed."
He also added that Strictly was "the most nervous" he'd ever been. "I've been going on stage for 35 years and doing this is the most nervous I've ever been. Maybe my nerves are a little bit better now."
We'll have to wait until tomorrow night's results show on BBC One at 7.15pm to see if Daniel and Kristina have permission to take off for the next round of Strictly.
Did #DanielODonnell & @KRihanoff’s Foxtrot pass with flying colours? ✈ #Strictly pic.twitter.com/oXGgYxv5r9
— BBC Strictly (@bbcstrictly) October 17, 2015
Tonight's show featured another eclectic music mix including Jamelia and Irish dancer Tristan MacManus dancing the Charleston to Straight Up by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox; Peter Andre and Janette Manrara dancing the Tango to New Order's Blue Monday and Anita Rani and Gleb Savchenko performing the Samba to Shakira's Hips Don't Lie.
Kirsty Gallacher and her partner Brendan Cole, meanwhile, danced to U2's Beautiful Day.
Saturday's dances and songs:
Ainsley Harriott and Natalie Lowe (Waltz) - Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful World
Anita Rani and Gleb Savchenko (Samba) - Shakira's Hips Don't Lie
Carol Kirkwood and Pasha Kovalev (Paso) - Trad's Espana Cani
Daniel O'Donnell and Kristina Rihanoff (American Smooth) - Frank Sinatra's Fly Me to the Moon
Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice (Quickstep) - S Club 7's Reach
Helen George and Aljaz Skorjanec (Salsa) - Miami Sound Machine's Doctor Beat
Jamelia and Tristan MacManus (Charleston) - Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox'sStraight Up
Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani (Quickstep) - The Who's My Generation
Jeremy Vine and Karen Clifton (Jive) - Bobby Darin's Splish Splash
Katie Derham and Anton Du Beke (Viennese Waltz) - Elvis Presley's If I Can Dream
Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton (Foxtrot) - Mamas and the Papas' Dream a Little Dream
Kirsty Gallacher and Brendan Cole (Paso) - U2's Beautiful Day
Peter Andre and Janette Manrara (Tango) - New Order's Blue Monday
