CHRIS WAKEFIELD

Chief Pilot

Chris was always going to be a pilot or a rock-star, he’s still working on it. Chris is the Chief Pilot here at Melbourne Heli.

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ALEX POOLE

Senior Flight Instructor 

Alex’s interest in flying started when he joined a friend to take aerial photos for a real estate agent in northern Tasmania. After turning 13, he started taking flying lessons and passed the ultralight pilot licence test after turning 15. At 17 he went to Queensland to start his aeroplane and helicopter licence training. After turning 18 his first job in the industry was flying Bell and Eurocopter helicopters at the 12 Apostles in south-west Victoria. He returned north to work as a flight instructor and pilot at half-a-dozen locations between Byron Bay and Mackay, before heading back to Victoria to pilot helicopters with one of the worlds largest aerial media companies. Besides instructing pilots for private and commercial licences, Alex’s over 2500 hours of instructing experience includes providing training for instrument, night, low level, sling and instructor ratings. These days Alex enjoys passing on over 20 years and 7000 hours experience to friends at Melbourne Heli. 

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ALEX THORSEN

Flight Instructor

Flying helicopters was initially Alex’s Dad’s idea. She took her first flying lesson a few days after her 16th birthday which started an addiction. She finished her PPL in Mallorca while doing her IB in Norway then quickly set off to the States to complete her CPL with Bristow Academy at 19. There she flew mainly over the everglades, doing autos into alligator infested training areas.

Her dream sent her to the UK to complete her IR in an EC135 just as the oil prices plummeted so she then headed off to Norway to do her instructor rating. Alex lived in Perth when she was little so on a family trip to the country, she contacted some helicopter companies to have a chat about the industry. After chatting to Chris for half an hour, he gave her a job and a month later she was in the country working for Melbourne Heli.

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GRAY HUMAN

Flight Instructor | HAAMC | General Manager

Gray began flying in 2013, gaining ratings in the R22, R44, R66 and the Guimbal Cabri G2. When not instructing, Gray is our go-to aerial photography pilot. He also flies passengers to local tourist destinations such as wineries and the Twelve Apostles, and conducts charter flights in and out of Melbourne. As our HAAMC, Gray monitors the maintenance scheduling and keeps track of the well being of our machines. "What I love about instruction? Watching someone's face turn from frustrated, to understanding, to enjoyment as I help them understand and master each step."

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GLENN DAVIDSON

Flight Instructor

Glenn has studied in both Australia and New Zealand, gaining his Instructor rating in NZ. He ran the Falls Creek operations at Mount Hotham whilst setting up a flight school in the North West region of Victoria. Glenn has operated as an instructor for many years, and has served as a quality and safety manager. 

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SOPHIE DOUGLASS

Pilot | Media and Marketing

Sophie joined the crew as a tour pilot and marketing manager in 2017. Her mother found a picture had drawn at the age of 5 of herself flying a helicopter, accompanied by a story she had written: “I will go to town in my helicopter, my big blue helicopter. Chopper-chopper chopper-chopper, all the way to town”. Whilst having no recollection of this, it seems flying helicopters was always in her mind as a life goal. In between flying charters for Melbourne Heli, Sophie spent time as a tour pilot flying out of central Australia in the Northern Territory.

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WING CHAN

Flight Instructor

Wing came on board with Melbourne Heli in 2019 as a part-time flight instructor. Wing began her aviation journey with a gliders licence, being up in the air even before she could drive a car. She completed her flight training in New Zealand before coming back to Australia to fly in the Whitsundays and at Phillip Island. In addition to being a skilled pilot she has completed her PhD in genetics/marine science at the University of Melbourne with a focus on coral reef regeneration and conservation, so now the doctor on board is also the pilot.

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PAM WAKEFIELD

Office Management

Our favourite Wakefield, Pam joined the crew as a part time office asssistant in 2018. 

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LOVEL THAKUR

Pilot 

Lovel’s passion for flying kicked off when she took to the skies as a Flight Attendant for Jet Airways at the age of 19. Her love for aviation followed her all the way to Australia where she pursued her mission to get into Qantas’s Graduate Program at the completion of her post graduate studies in Business. Throughout a decade of working across various management capacities in aviation, travel and health she held on to her dream and took flying lessons and undertaking ADF’s flight screening at Tamworth. In 2018, Lovel finally took the plunge and commenced her flight training with Melbourne Heli. Although her journey to becoming a helicopter pilot has been long winded, she’s finally on track and excited to be a part of the amazing Melbourne Helicopters family as the newest kid on the block for scenic flights around Melbourne.

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THISTLE

Customer Relations

Thistle has taken on a range of responsibilities here at Melbourne Heli including guarding the door, monitoring nap time, and regulating the appropriate squeak levels of chew toys.

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