September Edition: What the Barossa Helicopters Team Get Up To When They're Not Flying

Oct 2

3 min read

You might think our team spends all day in the air or behind a desk…

But when the blades stop spinning, things get just as interesting.

From weekend fishing trips to putting their heart into their hobbies, chasing sunsets, or testing out new cellar doors — turns out, our crew doesn’t sit still for long!!

Bridgette's Adventures – Barossa Helicopters Delivering the SANFL Grand Final Cup

Chief Pilot at Barossa Helicopters, South Australia, Bridgette Hasting

September brought a genuine career highlight for Bridgette, flying her AS350 Squirrel into Adelaide Oval to deliver the SANFL Grand Final Cup. As Bridgette put it herself, it was a career highlight, and one of the coolest things she's had the chance to do. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday in the pilot's seat.

Between milestone flights like this and the everyday work of keeping Barossa Helicopters in the air, September was a reminder of just how varied the job can be, from the everyday charter work to moments that that you can tick off your bucket list!

Senior Line Pilot Barossa Helicopters South Australia Nick Throup

Nick's Adventures – A Quiet One

By Nick's own admission, September was a quiet month off the clock. On the job though, it was far from quiet, Nick was part of the crew flying the SANFL Grand Final Cup into Adelaide Oval, spent time at the controls of the Squirrel for a winery tour and a day away from base doing flights at the Port Pirie Smelters Picnic with the team, all solid additions to the logbook.

Outside of work, about the most exciting thing on the cards was a bonfire at home one night.

As Nick put it himself, he's sorry for being boring this month, but he's promising to lift his game and do something cool for the next entry!

Line Pilot Barossa Helicopters South Australia Kye Herrmann

Kye's Adventures –A Milestone Flight and Family Time in Grafton

September was a big one for family, starting with a special first for Kye, taking his mum up for a flight for the first time since gaining his helicopter licence. A proud moment to finally share that part of the job with her.

From there it was up to Grafton with partner, Brooke for a family birthday, and a bit of downtime with a couple river trips in the boat with his dad and one of his mates rounding out the month.

Admin and Marketing Barossa Helicopters South Australia Neessa Mueller

Neessa's Adventures – Marketing, Ground Crew and Horses

Behind the scenes, Neessa kept the marketing side of things ticking along as usual this month, but she also swapped the desk for some time out of the office, heading to the Port Pirie Smelters Picnic as ground crew alongside Aaron, with Nick flying.

Outside of work, Neessa's been getting back in the saddle and

keeping things fairly relaxed, making the most of the quiet before things ramp up with work and rodeo season on the horizon.

Ground Crew Barossa Helicopters South Australia Aaron Kerr

Aaron's Adventures – Dual Controls and a Trip Back Home

September had Aaron jumping in on dual controls in the R44 with Nick, on the way to and from Port Pirie Smelters Picinic, before taking on ground crew duties for the day once they arrived, another solid step forward as he continues working his way through his helicopter licence.

These days Aaron's flying solo a lot more, with hopes of completing his licence within the next month, and he's been putting in the hours with some flying above the Flinders Ranges along the way.

Outside of work, Aaron headed back home to Cummins on the Eyre Peninsula, where plenty of beverages were consumed along the way.

A good month of progress in the cockpit and a bit of a catch up back home.