For 40 years, Helicopters Hawke’s Bay has been providing commercial, agricultural and forestry services throughout the lower North Island.
With a team of four experienced pilots and three multi-purpose machines, Helicopters Hawke’s Bay undertakes all types of helicopter work, including spraying, spreading, surveys, precision lifting, corporate transfers, scenic flights, frost protection, fire fighting, and providing access to pristine and remote hunting and fishing areas.
It is also one of the few companies qualified to undertake human sling work, which enables them to provide rook control services for regional councils and backup to abseiling teams working on the Kaikoura earthquake recovery project.
The company has been operating an AS350 Squirrel, an MD520N Notar, and a Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger, all fitted with certified spray gear.
The fleet is now expanding, with the addition of another AS350 Squirrel and a Kawasaki BK117 B2 twin engine machine, along with an extra pilot.
“We can go from spraying a paddock to doing a corporate transfer without a problem,” says Helicopters Hawke’s Bay managing director Jim Guerin.
“Our pilots are highly experienced and flexible, able to switch from one type of task to another, as well as using the most appropriate machine for the job.
“Every time we fl y, we are giving our experience back to our clients.” Agricultural and forestry applications include spreading and spraying, all with precision DGPS equipment.
Helicopters Hawke’s Bay uses the latest TracMap GPS guidance display units and online job management system. “Farmers can map their own farms into the system and send them straight to our GPS,” Jim says.
“They map the paddocks they want spread or sprayed and once it’s done, they can go back in to the system to get their proof of placement.”
Health and safety is a key consideration in the aviation industry and a huge part of the company culture at Helicopters Hawke’s Bay. It is also an essential part of maintaining certification with the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA), along with accreditation from Aircare and Growsafe.
Helicopters Hawke’s Bay contracts its health and safety business out to Ben Walters, a health and safety auditor who runs Business Risk Enterprises out of Whanganui.
“We work closely with Ben because he has a really good understanding of the aviation industry,” Jim says. “He writes a standard operating procedure for every type of job we undertake, and we abide by that.”
Jim has been with the company for 21 years and bought 50% of it in 2006, then outright in 2013.
He says aviation can be a very challenging business. Compliance is a big challenge, but not so much as the weather. “There are times we can’t even fly.
For many helicopter services to be completed safely and successfully, the weather has to be still and dry,” says Jim.
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