24 | GCH Aviation T T Richard Loader The sky’s the limit for family firm GCH Aviation has embarked on a programme of modernising its commercial fleet, and now predominantly operates Airbus EC130s in the tourism sector. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Over its 40-year journey, GCH Aviation has grown from one small Hughes 300, three-seater helicopter taking passengers on scenic flights from New Brighton Beach in Christchurch, to a fleet of modern aircraft, providing a diverse range of services from South Island bases and Wellington. From its headquarters at Christchurch international airport, the family-owned-and-operated company runs the NZ Flying Doctors Service throughout New Zealand, Westpac Rescue Helicopters 24/7, along with tourism and commercial helicopter services. A jet service offers flights throughout New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region. Commercial and tourism services are provided from Christchurch, Kaikoura and Wellington, while rescue helicopter and flying doctors services are provided from Christchurch and Nelson, with Greymouth providing a rescue helicopter base. Over the last decade, GCH Aviation has embarked on a programme of modernising its commercial fleet, and now predominantly operates Airbus EC130s in the tourism sector. “They have larger windows, more spacious seating, and air-conditioning, providing a lot more comfort for the high-end tourism market,” says company CEO, Daniel Currie. “In the last year we’ve also upgraded our rescue helicopter fleet, purchasing Airbus H145s from Rega in Switzerland. “That brings the rescue helicopter fleet into the modern age with single pilot IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) technology, modern avionic systems, and 4-axis autopilot. That technology enables our pilots to respond to medical events in more adverse weather conditions, gives greater ability to access more patients, and greater equity of service throughout New Zealand. Having new aircraft provides increased reliability with less engineering downtime. These aircraft are our biggest single technological leap in rescue helicopter services, replacing aircraft that are from the ’90s.” A recent addition to the fleet is the Bombardier Challenger 604 jet providing private jet transfers and aeromedical transport. If someone is injured within the greater Asia Pacific region, GCH Aviation can collect the patient and deliver them to a specialist Western hospital. “Jet services have become quite a large part of what we do in recent times, and it is a growing market. We can carry up to 10 people in comfortable luxury around the greater Pacific non-stop, with a flight attendant providing full food and beverage on board.” Daniel acknowledges that despite the technological advances in aircraft, it has been the people working for the business over the years that have been behind GCH’s successful journey. “We’ve been fortunate to have had excellent people over the years, from experienced pilots and medical team with their skills and ability to bring medical interventions to the work they do, or our tourism and commercial operations. F“rom the pilots through to the people who take the bookings, it’s all about looking after our clients. We’ve invested in our people over the years, and we see the fantastic result of that investment in the services that they deliver.” Daniel says the company’s very high staff retention rate reflects a business culture that looks after people, values their input, treats people with respect and ensures they enjoy what they do. “Ensuring everyone gets home safe is important. We have a zero commercial pressure policy. Anyone can say no to any aspect of a flight if they feel it is unsafe, and know they have the full support of management.” Valuing the client/passenger relationship is a critical part of GCH Aviation’s successful journey. “It’s an expensive activity for anyone to undertake, and so we want to really ensure they enjoy that experience and come away feeling the value of what they have done. For us it is important to offer that experience all the way through, because it could be a once-in-a- lifetime experience for them.” Independently NZ owned and operated and working internationally across many corners of the globe. We have the capacity, experience and capability to tackle most aviation jobs - we have a team of highly experienced and skilled professionals across aircraft structures, avionics, manufacturing, flight test engineering and aero medical fitouts. Proudly supporting GCH Aviation www.flightstructures.co.nz | 07 843 1128 PROUDLY NEW ZEALAND OWNED AND OPERATED
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