50 | Independent Helicopters T T Hugh de Lacy One-aircraft, one-man operation Mark and his helicopter play multiple heavy lifting roles in the construction anbd other industries. “This works gets me round the place, and a fair bit of it is back-country stuff, helping the Department of Conservation and local authorities.” CONTRACTING BRINGING SIMPLICITY TO COMPLEX CONSTRUCTION SINCE 2006 We offer the following specialised services South Island wide: • Slope retention works including rock and earth anchoring, grouting, shotcreting, retaining walls and blasting • Recreation and adventure construction • Large diameter rock drilling with laser alignment, 100mm – 2000mmwide, up to 15m deep • Commercial helicopter operations, management, lifting and sluicing • Timber and concrete structures, excavations and site works 027 281 2537 | hamish@hgmconstruction.co.nz | www.hgmconstruction.co.nz HGMConstruction is proud to support Independent Helicopters “Independent” is an accurate assessment of the way Mark Read runs his Independent Helicopters company: it’s a one-aircraft one-man operation working from a base at Prebbleton, south of Christchurch, but doing a multiplicity of tasks. Independent Helicopters has been in business for five years, with most of the work for Mark’s Airbus AS350B chopper coming from various branches of the construction industry, government agencies and NGOs supported by private charters. Originally from the West Coast, Mark, who has been operating and flying helicopters for 35 years, started out flying sphagnum moss out of the bush, a challenging learning environment that honed his skills in the early days to become the skilled and seasoned pilot he is today. After the sphagnum stint Mark crossed the Alps and settled in Christchurch, working for a range of helicopter companies. This took him off-shore flying an assortment of Squirrels in several continents, including Antarctica, covering every sort of job from rescue missions to heavy lifting, surveying and fire-fighting. A highlight of Mark’s career was flying the huge Mil 8 Russian heavy-lift machine, making commercial heavy lifting and fire-fighting the path he chose to focus on in the helicopter industry. “This works gets me round the place, and a fair bit of it is back-country stuff, helping the Department of Conservation and local authorities on track building and maintenance, which includes flying in gravels and other materials,” Mark says. Mark and his helicopter play multiple heavy lifting roles in the construction industry with a couple of his regular Canterbury clients being JAR Builders, a design-and-build company that counts earthquake-related repairs among its services, and HGM Construction which does a range of work like slope retention in sling and helicopter operations. Among other notable HGM jobs that Independent Helicopters has completed was the construction of the Christchurch Adventure Park, where Mark flew cement into the inaccessible areas where the concrete was being poured. Independent Helicopters also caters for private tourist and hunting clients, with Mark able to offer scenic flights, mountain adventures, winery and restaurant tours – “Let’s pop down to Queenstown for a meal” – along with wedding scenes and golf tours. Of recent years Mark and his machine have been involved in fighting wildfires throughout the wider Canterbury region, including the big conflagration on the Port Hills in 2017. It’s demanding work that Mark says requires discipline and accuracy from the pilot. His company works in diverse fields that, besides heavy lifting, tourism and charters, include search and rescue, sling operations and frost protection. In each sector safety protocols are tailored to the unique demands of the operation. “We take health and safety very seriously, with our operations employing our safety manager who produces a safety plan specific to the operation. “Safety remains non-negotiable,” Mark says. “The market we are in is very competitive with a number of companies offering similar services. “Our point of difference is our personal approach to all our current and potential clients. “We provide a safe, reliable service, with very competitive pricing because of our low overheads. “Our client list alone is an indication of our experience in the industry, and we get many referrals from clients. “We must be doing something right because I can look forward to the continued support from our current clients and meeting new customers,” Mark says.
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