Business Rural North Summer 2021

48 | RURAL SERVICES » Campbell Copters ‘Moment of madness’ pays off big time The Campbell Copters team on the job (above and below). Virginia Wright N ow in his 60’s Neil Campbell has been a dairy farmer since 1983 and a helicopter pilot since 2002. In 2006 he and his brother Malcolm established Campbell Copters in Whangarei with the purchase of a helicopter which they leased to Twin Coast Helicopters. By then Neil had his commercial license as well as his agricultural certification. He flew their machine for Twin Coast until the company decided to buy their own machines. By then the Campbells owned two helicopters both of which risked sitting idle. Luckily an opportunity arose when the owners of Kerikeri based Heliops decided to call it a day. Malcolm left Auckland to make the shift north and is now actively involved as the company’s CEO as well as being in charge of maintenance, being a mechanic by trade. Neil is chief pilot and does most of the flying, mainly using the larger of their two machines, the Robinson R44. The team is rounded out with Safety Officer Kelly Cullen who does a lot of their health and safety computer work using the AIRS Safety Management System, and Peter Hayes who worked with Neil on the farm 30 odd years ago when he first left school. After a stint in the army and the police force among other things he joined Campbell Copters when they advertised for a loader driver earlier this year and is joined by a couple of casual loader- drivers on call as required. They have dual certification with the so-called PART 137 for Agricultural work such as spraying, fertilising, livestock surveying and so on, and the PART 135 for air operations such as charter flights, aerial photography and other passenger driven activities. “There was only one other 135 operator up here and we felt there was a demand,” says Neil. “We were getting enquiries for that sort of work so even though it’s not a big part of our business it’s a good 10% to be able to do.” Neil had been flying fixed wings recreationally for ten years along with a bit of parachute flying when he decided to get his PPL (private pilot’s license) for helicopters. “I found I really enjoyed them so it motivated me to get a commercial license,” says Neil. He jokingly refers to the decision to go into the helicopter business as “a moment of madness”, but it’s clear that it’s a decision that he doesn’t regret as he now spends 80% of his time in the chopper business and 20% on the farm. “I enjoy the flexibility they give you to be able to land pretty much anywhere you’ve got permission to land, as opposed to a fixed wing which needs a runway or an airfield. I just really enjoy flying them,” says Neil. With an annual calendar that follows the seasons Campbell Copters move from pre-planting work for forestry in the autumn; spraying and both liquid and solid fertilizing in winter; dealing with gorse in the summer; and anything in between. Summer’s also when their 135 certification pays off with tourists and private charters filling any gaps they might have. For the Campbells it’s all in a day’s work, and they’re happy to be of service. “We really cover Northland from Maungatapere in the South to Cape Reinga in the North, and from the West Coast to the East Coast, carrying out our agricultural services and passenger transport services. We’re self-employed so we get to decide what we do or don’t want to do but we end up pretty much working every fine day,” says Neil, and it’s obvious he doesn’t mind it at all. “I enjoy the flexibility they give you to be able to land pretty much anywhere you’ve got permission to land, as opposed to a fixed wing which needs a runway or an airfield. I just really enjoy flying them.” Northland Bulk Haulage Ltd Contact Shane Mob: 0275 374 064 A/h: 09 407 6653 Bulk Cartage • Fertiliser • Lime Aggregate • Silage Bales Specialising in WEED CONTROL Pasture weeds Gorse & blackberry Key suppliers of herbicides and penetrants into the NZ agricultural industry. Proud to support Campbell Copters Office 09 273 3456 | www.agpro.co.nz