About Melbourne Heli

Chris Wakefield
Chief Pilot

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

Flight Instructor, Grade 1

christopher@melbourneheli.com

Gray
Chief Instructor

Gray began his journey as one of the very first students at Melbourne Heli, after which he was employed to fly scenic tours around Melbourne and further afield to the many wineries and event locations that surround the area. Later, he added aerial photography and videography work to his skillset before obtaining his instructor rating. During this time he learned to fly the R22, R44, R66, AS350 and his personal favourite, the Guimbal Cabri G2.

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”, he says.

Flight Instructor, Grade 1

gray@melbourneheli.com

Wing
Flight Instructor

Wing came on board with Melbourne Heli in 2019 as a flight instructor. She began her aviation journey with a gliders licence, getting up in the air even before she could drive a car. Then 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. Wing has recently achieved an epic milestone of a thousand flight hours.

Flight Instructor, Grade 2

wing@melbourneheli.com

Harry
Flight Instructor

Harry joined the team in March 2023 in a role fondly referred to in the industry as the ‘hangar rat’ after completing his commercial license with Melbourne Heli. Skip forward a year and a couple hundred flying hours and he’s now made the leap across to instructing. A lover of teaching and learning alike; he also is studying a masters of mechanical engineering and is looking to specialise in rotary-wing mechanics.

Flight Instructor, Grade 1

harry@melbourneheli.com

Rick
Flight Instructor

Rick started as a Line Pilot with Melbourne Heli in 2024, and has since moved on to instructing. A lover of all things space and aeronautics, Rick regularly has to pinch himself as a reminder that he’s paid to fly helicopters for a living!

Flight Instructor, Grade 2

rick@melbourneheli.com

Josh
Flight Instructor

Josh recently joined our team after working as the manager at 12 Apostles Helicopters for a number of years. With more than 2,000 hours of flight experience, he has recently completed his Flight Instructor Rating with us and will now be focused on delivering flight training to our students.

Flight Instructor, Grade 3

josh@melbourneheli.com

Alex
Flight Examiner

With over 20 years & 10,000 hours experience behind him, including over 4500 hours of instructing, Alex holds most operational ratings and their training endorsements, authorising him to provide a wide scope of training, from recreational licences to instrument and instructor ratings. He is also among a handful of helicopter pilots in Australia who can conduct flight tests for RPL, PPL, CPL, Low-Level, Sling and Night VFR ratings.

Flight Instructor, Grade 1

alexp@melbourneheli.com

Ruben
Line Pilot

Ruben first learnt to fly aeroplanes as a teenager. He recently decided that adding helicopters to his qualifications was essential, and after doing so, joined Melbourne Heli as a line pilot flying passengers around Melbourne and to the popular wineries and wedding venues scattered around Victoria. Ruben is also a fixed-wing instructor and will often try to convince his helicopter colleagues to come and learn to fly aeroplanes, or at least come out for a basic aerobatics joy flight!

ruben@melbourneheli.com

Teague
Line Pilot

Teague  completed his commercial helicopter license with us at Melbourne Heli a year ago, and impressed the team enough to be offered a role asa Line Pilot. He supports Ruben and the team with charter flights and other duties.

teague@melbourneheli.com

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.

woof@melbourneheli.com