The fascinating lives of a family of helicopter pilots

The fascinating lives of New Zealand’s most accomplished family of helicopter pilots

Three generations of Reids have flown helicopters. First there was John, a Second World War fighter pilot. After the war he trained on helicopters, becoming a test pilot for British European Airways. He returned to New Zealand in 1961, pioneering the use of helicopters in many industries including agriculture, forestry, and for mineral, oil and gas exploration.

He trained the first New Zealand military helicopter pilots and built up the largest helicopter company in the southern hemisphere. He carried out some of the first helicopter search and rescue missions in New Zealand and during his career was decorated three times for Next there was John’s son Bill, who began flying in the early 1970s, during the incredibly dangerous deer recovery years, then on to ventures in Hong Kong, England and Papua New Guinea, before setting up his own successful helicopter business. Over the course of his 40-year career, Bill has flown helicopters for almost every kind of job you can think of – heavy lifting, mountain rescue, fire-fighting, animal control, heli-fishing and work on major movies filmed in New Zealand. He’s since restored a World War Two vintage aeroplane, and his Avro Anson Mk1 coastal reconnaissance bomber is the only flight-worthy one of its type in the world.

It has been named one of the world’s most significant restorations of recent times and impressed Kate and Wills, who sat in its cockpit during a visit to Marlborough’s Omaka Aviation Centre as part of their royal tour in April this year. And finally there’s Toby and his wife Rachel, also pilots, who have established their own helicopter business, Reid Helicopters Ltd. Toby and Rachael continue to innovate and develop new ways of utilising helicopters and are pioneering new paths in adventure tourism.

The Reids have helicopters in their blood, and Born To Fly is an exciting inter-generational tale of adventure and enterprise. Filled with tales from the early days of helicopters through to the 80’s where the helicopter accident rate grew to alarming proportions and today where there are more than 800 helicopters on the New Zealand register, it will keep its readers on the edge of their seats.

Bill Reid is a helicopter pilot living in 88 Valley, south of Nelson. With thousands of hours and 40 years of flying under his belt, Bill is one of New Zealand’s more experienced pilots. After selling his award-winning helicopter business in 2002, Bill now flies for Toby’s company and displays his Avro Anson at air shows around the country.

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