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Meet John

John has been a pilot for the NZ Flying Doctor Service in Nelson for three and a half years. It’s a job he loves.

We chat to John about what is so special about flying an air ambulance.

Tell me about your journey to becoming a pilot.

I trained at the Ardmore Flying School in Auckland. I then took a bit of a gap year to go travelling before I got serious about aviation.

I spent a year working in Melbourne as a flight instructor at Moorabbin Airport and then moved to Nelson to work for Golden Bay Air. I spent my days flying between Karamea, Wellington, and Nelson. It was a small little airline with three planes and four pilots – it was pretty cool.

But then a mate told me about a job at the NZ Flying Doctor service. I’ve been here for three and a half years now and have never looked back. It’s awesome – I love every day.

What is it about the NZ Flying Doctor service that you love?

I love the diversity, the variety, the unknown, being on call – it’s not for everyone but for me, all that stuff is way more fun than having a set roster and knowing exactly when you’re going to work.

We work most days from 9 am until about 5.30, but sometimes it stretches out to 9 or 10 at night depending on the jobs we get in.

Where do you fly to the most?

We fly a lot to Wellington, Blenheim, and Christchurch – with the odd flight to other places like Auckland, Invercargill, Timaru, or Greymouth.

A lot of people from Blenheim go to Nelson for treatment, and in Nelson we get a lot of patients who need to get to Wellington or Christchurch for treatment. Often we pick patients up again a couple of days later. What’s really special is when they recognise you – that’s really nice. It’s great to bring people home.

My favourite place to fly into is Wellington. I like managing the weather that Wellington throws at us. It’s also a social spot to stop, as we get to catch up with pilots from other small airlines or air ambulance services.

What are your most memorable days at work?

Every day is a memorable day! But it’s pretty cool when we fly kids, especially if it’s their first time on an aeroplane.

We also get adults who have never flown before. Sometimes they are super nervous but we really do everything we can to reassure them and make it the smoothest flight possible.

How do you keep yourself busy outside of work?

I enjoy mountain biking, I play a bit of golf, do a little bit of hiking, and enjoy socialising. I like making the most of the great weather we have in Nelson to get out and about.