Kane is a pilot for the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter and shares a glimpse into a day in the life working onboard your rescue helicopter.
How did you get into this job?
“I grew up on a farm near Otorohanga and we would regularly see helicopters flying overhead. I can clearly remember watching the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter land at the Kio Kio United Sports Club to uplift a patient following a motor vehicle accident, and I thought this looked like a great job that I would love to do someday. After leaving College I joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force where I learnt to fly. After serving over 17 years in the military the opportunity came up for me to move back and fly the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter.”
What are your duties when on a mission?
“Weather assessment, risk management, safety of the crew, patient and aircraft. Also overall mission management, fuel and performance planning and I also speak to air traffic control and of course... flying the helicopter!”
What is the best part about your job?
“I feel very fortunate to be in such a rewarding role. It’s important to remember that what can sometimes feel like an ‘everyday’ flight for us, is often part of a life-changing situation for our patients. It’s particularly rewarding when we are able to uplift a patient from an isolated location in challenging conditions, or responding to situations such as motor vehicle accidents where the speed of the helicopter makes a real difference to someone’s outcome. Of course, flying the new H145 helicopter is an absolute pleasure as well!”
What are some difficult tasks involved with your job?
“In some cases, it can be difficult to actually locate the patient, especially when they are in an isolated location. I can’t emphasise enough how much easier a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) makes things from our end, so I highly encourage the use of these for anyone heading off the beaten track! Once the patient has been located, if there are no suitable landing areas nearby the winch might be required to lower our Critical Care Flight Paramedic (CCFP) down, and then extract the patient. Some locations are more challenging than others but winching always requires a high degree of coordination between the three crewmembers of Pilot, Crewman and CCFP. This can be significantly complicated by an event occurring in poor weather or at night, however, that’s why we regularly train for different scenarios.”
What do you do with your time off?
“I spend time off with my wife Georgia and daughter Annabelle. I also like to stay active through trail running, swimming, mountain biking and other adventure sports.”
