92 | nzdairy More than 50 years of precise aerial work Kelly Deeks DAIRY SERVICES » Skywork Helicopters Ltd - Warkworth Contact us to discuss your next project 0800 425 7116 | www.itsseng.nz 24 Morrison Drive, Warkworth Proud to be supporting Skywork Helicopters Ltd • Heavy Steel Fabrication • Aluminium & Stainless • Tailored Truck Building • Structures & Sculptures • CNC & Manual Machining • Sheetmetal Works • Blast & Painting • Cranes & Hiabs • Hydraulic Services • CAD/CAM drafting GET IN TOUCH WARKWORTH 09 425 8456 WHANGAREI 09 438 6915 KERIKERI 09 407 5514 Proud supporters of Skywork Helicopters Warkworth The company has invested heavily in agricultural technology since its early years. Skywork Helicopters is putting a fresh generation of agricultural pilots into the air as the Stevenson family continues to build on more than 50 years of aerial work supporting New Zealand farmers. Chief pilot and operations manager Greg Stevenson is the third generation of his family to fly, following his grandfather Neville, a topdressing pilot in the 1970s, and father Roger, who started flying in the 1980s and established Skywork with his wife Miriam in 1997. Today, Skywork operates four North Island bases, with Greg based between their Warkworth and Whangarei Base, the company covering Northland through to Waikato. Its local pilots bring regional knowledge and established relationships with farmers. Its agricultural work includes fertiliser spreading, spraying, pest control, oversowing, and seeding. For dairy farmers, the value of aerial application is speed, precision, and access, Greg says. “We get through the task at hand very quickly, with no damage to the grass and no gates left open. It’s all done in a few hours compared to doing it yourself or doing it by ground.” Helicopters can also work when paddocks and steep slopes are too wet for ground machinery, allowing farmers to get essential applications completed without putting vehicles onto vulnerable ground. Safety and application accuracy are central to the operation. Skywork uses GPS guidance, controlled flow meters and anti-drift boom technology, while highly developed spreading equipment is tested to ensure an accurate pattern and application rate. The company has invested heavily in agricultural technology since its early years, including becoming the first operator in New Zealand to use a Thru Valve Boom (anti-drift boom and nozzle technology with 99.9% on target accuracy) in 1999. Its aircraft and equipment are designed to put product where it is required while reducing unnecessary exposure for people and minimising environmental impacts. Skywork is now focused on bringing the next generation through, with a new junior agricultural pilot now under training. He will develop skills in agricultural flying, including spraying and fertiliser application, before progressing through other aviation acquired skills and roles such as lifting and firefighting. This is the first pilot Skywork has trained in almost a decade, reflecting Greg’s desire to create opportunities for young people entering an industry where experienced pilots are increasingly needed. “We need more young people to come through for training that desire careers such as becoming a specialist agricultural/commercial pilot, we want to support them for the future of the industry.” Greg says agricultural aviation remains a competitive market, but pilots and operators also support each other across the regions, particularly through the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association. For Greg, the appeal of the work comes down to its connection with farming and the visible results. Flying early mornings or late evenings, then returning weeks later to see the response in the pasture, provides a satisfying measure of the job’s impact. “We really enjoy meeting with farmers and talking to them and being out in that rural environment,” he says. “Seeing what you have done for people when you’re flying over in the following weeks is a great reward.” As Skywork brings a new pilot into the industry, Greg hopes the opportunity will help ensure agricultural aviation has the people and skills needed to keep supporting New Zealand farmers for another generation.
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