about us
our story
Nick (& Alex’s) Journey:
Gisborne Helicopters: After starting as a loader for Gisborne Helicopters at their Wairoa base in 2012, the opportunity came in 2013 to move up to Gisborne and into the role of Pilot. After 2 years there, Nick and Alex moved back down to Wairoa where Nick became the Base Manager.
Tararua Heliwork: In 2018, after their first daughter was born they decided to move closer to family and made the shift to Pahiatua. Nick contract flew for Tararua Heliwork & Wairarapa Helicopters over 2 years as well as running a contract fencing business.
Rescue Helicopter Pilot: A position came up for a Line Pilot at the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter in 2019, which Nick took. In 2020 Nick and Alex along with their 2 kids, made the move to Whanganui.
Rangitikei Helicopters: After a year working for the Rescue Heli, Nick realised that he greatly missed the Ag work. So he left there and contract flew for Rangitikei Helicopters for the summer of 2020/2021.
Gough Island: Towards the end of the summer season in 2021, Nick & Alex had decided that they were going to have a crack at doing it on their own. But, another opportunity presented itself first! A five month stint contracting under Heli A1 (Otorohonga) - aerial baiting Gough Island.
So off Nick went, to an Island in the middle of nowhere, travelling during Covid lockdown. Nick and the crew were out there for 2.5 months, but away for 5 due to isolations and the week long journey on a ship between Capetown - South Africa, and the Island.
This was an adventure of a lifetime for Nick and it was a big financial boost for setting up RTB Heli Ltd base and operations.
our team
OUr greatest asset
We couldn’t do it without them
Our team consists of 2 fulltime Pilots (including Nick as Chief Pilot), 2 fulltime Ground Crew, a Safety & Admin Manager (Alex) and some impact players on the casual bench including; Ground Crew and Shooters.
We have good working relationships with other operators around the country which means we can make anything happen.
operations
Aircraft
AS350 B2 - Squirrel
Hughes 500E
B206 Jet Ranger a larger capacity machine, perfect for the Agricultural area we service.
Robinson 44 Raven 2 aka Ribena the Rockstar. Versitile and cost effective
DIGITAL Systems
We use a range of digital platforms to increase efficiency, accuracy and client communication.
Tabula for our mapping, GPS tracking and client coverage maps
Aerial Toolbox for flight records and data as well as linking to invoice generation
SiteDocs for an easy and accessible way to store, manage and interact with our SMS
Gear
We are continually aiming to acquire and maintain top quality support gear. We know the impact good vs average plant and equipment has on the bottom line to our clients and us as operators. We are always looking at ways we can improve operations.
Standards
CAA Part 137 certificated; AAOC98689
CAA Part 100 (Safety Management Systems) Approved
All our team are certified and trained using stringent internal procedures and external experts. Our commitment to the Health & Safety of our crew and operations is paramount. Get in touch if you would like to see how we integrate this into our everyday ops.