John, chief pilot
Government Air Wing

I was working as Senior Standards Officer with the Department of Defence in Oakey, (Queensland) combining flying and administrative duties, when one of my colleagues pointed out a great job opportunity to me. The position was for a Chief Pilot in the Government Air Wing (GAW) of the Queensland Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

My wife and I were looking to return to South-East Queensland, in particular Brisbane, and I knew that Chief Pilot jobs only came up once in a blue moon. In fact, there have only been four Chief Pilot appointments in the last 30 years, one of them famously held by Beryl Young, Chief Pilot for the then Premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Since taking up the role in July 2007, I have relished the opportunity to develop my leadership skills heading up the GAW team, while still flying. The work itself is its greatest reward and I find the organ retrieval jobs, where we fly as far as New Zealand on retrieval tasks, to be especially satisfying.

Other equally rewarding work of service to the community has been transporting medical teams [burns specialists] to Darwin, and the occasional search and rescue job. There’s also the day-to-day responsibility of flying such dignitaries as the Prime Minister, Premier and Governor of Queensland around the state.

While I’m proud of my ability to work with a variety of passengers, the Chief Pilot’s role will probably be my final flying job before retiring and easing into aviation consultancy work.

I have particularly appreciated the department’s active support for reservists in terms of paid leave, and would recommend the Air Wing to any former Defence pilot wanting a unique challenge.

Don’t expect it all on a plate, though. You’ll need to gain relevant experience to deliver the highest standards of service inside and out of the cockpit at the Queensland Government Air Wing.

Last reviewed: 17 July, 2009

Last updated: 22 July, 2009

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