A day in the life of Dylan Vickerman, Rotary Wing Pilot in PNG.
A Typical Day
A standard day (if that exists) begins with replying to emails, ensuring that I’m in the loop prior to our daily morning meeting. This usually dictates the rest of my day. It could be anything from recruiting, rostering, flight training or out flying the line on a charter flight.
“Every day is different up here which is a great part of the job.”
Working in aviation is always exciting. Being such a fast-paced industry ensures that keeping up with the pace of change is always a challenge. However, I try to tackle this head on and never shy away from any challenge we may face. The rewards of the job far out weight any challenges. One aspect I find particularly rewarding is working within the team environment. HEVILIFT has a strong culture of comradeship which can be seen through out the company. With my role comes the privilege to build a team of pilots for PNG, putting together a team to tackle a project and seeing it through to completion is absolutely something that gets me out of bed in the morning.
Dylan standing proudly in front of a Bell 407. One of the many Rotary Wing aircraft in the fleet.
Time to Unwind
When it comes to unwinding, we have the odd volley ball match in the evenings, those are usually followed by consoling our engineering staff after a heavy defeat. Gym and socialising in the mess are always welcomed. Being able to blow off steam with my colleagues is something we all enjoy
One of my fondest memories during my time at HEVILIFT was ferrying a MI8 aircraft to Vietnam, crossing the South China Sea and approaching Vietnam over the mouth of the Mekong River. It was certainly special and something you would rarely get the chance to do anywhere else.