At first, he dismissed the cramps, nausea, and weakness as a minor inconvenience. But as the symptoms got worse, Meyers began to doubt he could continue flying.

He did manage to land safely at his destination - fortunately, it wasn’t far away. When the plane came to a stop, though, he literally tumbled out of the cockpit in agony. Medical help was summoned.

The culprit, Meyers later discovered: a black widow spider bite.

Illness comes in all shapes and sizes - from relatively minor ailments (motion sickness, headache, gastrointestinal discomfort) to life-threatening conditions (stroke, heart attack, hypoxia). What to do when you, the pilot, or one of your passengers gets sick in-flight?

It’s something that receives little if any attention during flight training for private pilots.

You can’t anticipate every possible kind of medical emergency, of course. And even if you’re a doctor who’s piloting an aircraft, there’s still that primary responsibility when an emergency, medical or otherwise, arises: flying the airplane.

But Joel Stoller, a DC-9 captain and part-time flight instructor, and other experts cite these important considerations when "humanware", rather than hardware, fails aloft:

• Quickly acknowledge there’s a medical problem, as that will give you more time to take appropriate action.

• Remain calm.

• Locate the nearest airport and land immediately.

• Declare an emergency - air traffic controllers can direct you to the closest airport and arrange for medical assistance to meet you on the ground.

• Enlist the help of passengers - to administer supplemental oxygen or other first aid, or to comfort or restrain the one who’s ill - so you can focus on landing the aircraft safely.

Remember, prevention is still your best friend. You can avoid some en-route medical emergencies by adhering to the I’M SAFE rule - no Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, or Emotion.