Rescue helicopter just part of the fleet

Ros and Graeme Gale in front of a hangar bay with their fleet of Jet Ranger helicopters. Photo by...
Ros and Graeme Gale in front of a hangar bay with their fleet of Jet Ranger helicopters. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.
A desire to "service the demand" has seen a small Taieri business mushroom from humble beginnings to an aviation powerhouse and made its owner a household name, as business reporter Sally Rae reports.

Graeme Gale admits his job is very demanding and has consumed his life.

But when he gets dragged out of bed at 2am to pilot the Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter on yet another mission - "to go away and make a difference to some little kid's life" - then that makes it worthwhile.

For although he has seen some tragic incidents and "the worst of accidents", playing a small role in a team effort that might make a significant difference is rewarding.

Along with the horrific sights, there have also been some fantastic outcomes, which have included visits to Helicopters Otago's base at the Taieri Airfield from former passengers wanting to meet the pilot and paramedics and view the helicopter.

"It's not about me. I only drive a helicopter. I'm just a little tooth in a great big cog in a big wheel," he said.

Mr Gale might be a household name in Otago for his role with the rescue helicopter but that is just one part of his business.

Initially buying the business which supported one helicopter, he now has a fleet of 11, and another is due to arrive at the company's large and immaculate headquarters. The helicopters sit in the hangar on strips of carpet, and another five in partnership are kept further south.

They range in size from the BK117 and Bell Jet Rangers through to the Robinson R22.

Staff numbers fluctuate between 10 and 30 at the peak of the season, and comprise permanent employees and contractors.

Not a bad effort for a man who left Taieri High School after his father's death a couple of weeks after he turned 15, and joined the family retail business in Mosgiel.

He and his brother ran Gales sports shop and Gales garden centre until his brother moved to Blenheim, where he bought several garden centres, and Mr Gale took over both businesses, while his wife Ros also became involved.

At that time, an opportunity arose to do some helicopter training and he ended up completing his helicopter licence.

One night, Mr Gale woke up and "just out of the blue" told his wife he was going to sell one of the shops the next day. The sports shop was sold by 5pm.

They later decided to sell the garden centre and buy the local helicopter business on the Taieri.

There was not much work around but, through customers as his shops, Mr Gale had many contacts, and he had plenty of support from the rural community.

That loyal support has continued through the years.

It was while doing agricultural and commercial work that Mr Gale started thinking it was "ridiculous" there was no rescue helicopter in Otago, as other rescue services were operating in large centres.

After forging a relationship with Speight's Brewery over a Bledisloe Cup rugby game in Dunedin, he put a proposal to the company to start what became known as the Speight's rescue helicopter.

Demand was immediate: during the launch by the mayor at the Kitchener St helipad, the Bell Jet Ranger was called away for a patient retrieval, leaving invited guests windblown and alone.

On the way home from a second job that day, Mr Gale began thinking: "This isn't good enough."

Conditions in the machine were cramped, there was not full access to the patient and it was "really just a stepping stone".

As well as being an air ambulance, it was also a commercial helicopter, which caused issues, and he knew it was never going to work long-term.

"I'd be out spraying and get a call from an ambulance job. I'd have to drop everything I was doing, tell the farmer I'd be back some time later and fly back, pick up the [ambulance] crew and away we'd go."

Mr Gale approached the likes of businessman Ross Black and the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust was formed in 1998 to fund a dedicated intensive-care rescue helicopter service.

The trust also funded the rooftop helipad on Dunedin Hospital which had been "fantastic", cutting 15-20 minutes off transport time and saving double-handling of patients.

Mr Gale praised the trust, saying it had been "absolutely rock solid" in its decisions and directions, and the business model put forward had been outstanding.

He also had a very good relationship with staff in the intensive-care unit at the hospital.

When asked about memorable rescues, the Time Out boat tragedy, off the coast of North Otago in May 2003, stood out in his mind.

The establishment of a rescue co-ordination centre, operating around the clock, was a direct result of that tragedy.

A ministerial review recommended the centre's establishment after the sinking, which claimed the lives of three men.

Two men survived.

The gap of almost three hours between the activation of an emergency beacon and a rescue helicopter arriving had attracted widespread criticism.

Three men lost their lives and that result might have been different had there been better systems in place, he said.

There had been flaws in the system, which were highlighted by the coroner, but change had ensued and the Rescue Co-ordination Centre was now a "fantastic setup".

Mr Gale was always looking for anything that could make a difference to the outcome for the patients.

There had been a limitation with night-flying, but that was resolved when Helicopters Otago was proactive in bringing night-vision goggles to New Zealand.

Before that, many night jobs could not be done safely and it was a major problem. Today, between 30% and 40% of rescue helicopter work is done at night.

But Helicopters Otago was not just about the rescue helicopter.

Ask Mr Gale what else the company does and the nonchalant answer is "a bit of this and that".

That description encompasses agricultural and commercial work, scenic flights and training.

Agricultural work has been the anchor of the business "from day one".

It has been heavily involved in Tb eradication throughout the region, and its pest work has extended offshore to baiting operations as far away as Campbell Island, the Seychelles and Alaska.

Working on the Palmyra Atoll, described as the jewel in the crown of all the Pacific Islands because of its birdlife, was particularly satisfying, he said.

It was the "most picturesque island you could ever imagine" with its gin-clear water, white sands and palm trees.

And while he was undertaking an operation that involved killing pests, a better way to describe it was making birds, he said.

The company got involved with another Mosgiel-based company, TracMap, and helped it develop an aviation TracMap GPS system.

Helicopters Otago worked with Landcare Research to develop a cluster-sowing bucket, using TracMap, which was a sophisticated system, putting out very small clusters of bait in a given position. It significantly reduced the amount of toxic bait being laid.

The company was involved in live-line power work and was the first in the world to do heli-karting - and is still the only company in New Zealand doing it, working from Manapouri to Auckland.

Recently, the Otago Regional Council had used a canoe, suspended under a helicopter, for housing equipment that would assist in measuring river flows during floods.

The company has also set up a helicopter flight simulator, the only one in the South Island.

Listening to clients closely was "extremely important", and Mr Gale was constantly reminding his employees if they did not have a client base, then there was no business.

"I always believe if you go out and do a job, do it like you're doing it for yourself and keep the quality up."

When building the company's headquarters, he wanted to create an environment people would be happy to work in, "not just an open, cold old hangar".

Maintenance was also never skimped on: "I never look at the price: you do the maintenance and pay the bills."

He was no longer doing the amount of flying he used to, because of the amount of time consumed in the office.

But if he learned there was a job on the go that was significant, or in the rural community, particularly for farmers for whom he had worked previously, "I'll be pretty much there."

He was grateful for the support of his wife, who works in the office, saying "without her, it wouldn't have happened".

Two of the couple's three sons, David and Kevin, were now flying for the company.

Mr Gale reckoned he would not know if he had "a dollar in the bank", saying that was not important.

"It's never been to me about making money; it's about providing the service."

While there were "takers in the world that take everything and give nothing back", he was a firm believer in giving something back to the community.

"I think if everyone gives a little bit back, it would change the focus of everything," he said.

Mr Gale was still very passionate about what he did, although in his characteristic matter-of-fact way, he said he had "a lot less tolerance for idiots".

"If there's something I believe in, I'll give 150% towards it."

It was never the intention to grow the business to the size it has now become.

"The reason why it ended up this size was because the demand was there and I hate not providing the service."

In the future, he was keen to continue to "do what we're doing and do it better", as well as spending more time with his nine grandchildren.

Family, community and client support was crucial in such a business and he had "all of that, plus".

"It's a great industry to be in, but to recommend to somebody what we've done, I'd have to think about that," he mused.


Fundraiser
• Helicopters Otago is holding a fundraiser for the Chair of Neurosurgery Campaign today.
• The company will fly passengers over Dunedin in one of its BK117s and donate the full $100 a seat to the campaign.
• The Otago Regional Rescue Helicopter will also be on display at the Kitchener St helipad with paramedics and crew.
• The rescue helicopter will be used in a display over Otago Harbour about 1pm, unless otherwise dispatched.
• Flights over the city will begin from Kitchener St about 11am and continue through the afternoon.


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