Piloting business to success
NAUTILUS AVIATION’S DIRECTOR AARON FINN HAS TAKEN THE FLOURISHING HELICOPTER COMPANY A MIGHTY LONG WAY DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS,
A cutting-edge machine soars high above Kakadu National Park, a natural icon of Northern Australia, and Aaron Finn realises his calling. It was the late ’90s and the chippie from Kyabram in Victoria was on a helicopter joy flight.
“After that I was hooked on it … I knew flying was something I wanted to get into,” Mr Finn said.
Fast-forward almost two decades and Mr Finn, 40, is now marking five years at the helm of Nautilus Aviation, a diverse and lucrative helicopter company with operations in Cairns, Darwin, Townsville, the Torres Strait and in New South Wales.
NAUTILUS HAS ALMOST 30 HELICOPTERS IN ITS RAPIDLY GROWING FLEET AND ABOUT 65 EMPLOYEES
A CUTTING-edge machine soars high above Kakadu National Park, a natural icon of Northern Australia, and Aaron Finn realises his calling.
It was the late ’90s and the chippie from Kyabram, in Victoria’s Goulburn River Valley, was on a helicopter joy flight with his dad.
“After that I was hooked on it … I knew flying was something I wanted to get into,” Mr Finn said.
Fast-forward almost two decades and Mr Finn, 40, is now marking five years at the helm of Nautilus Aviation, a diverse and lucrative helicop- ter company with operations in Cairns, Darwin, Townsville, the Torres Strait and in New South Wales.
The business has come along in leaps and bounds since 2012, when he was approached to become Nautilus director by its owner, Melbourne-based tourism tycoon Chris Morris.
“I caught up with him over a beer and the next thing we were starting from scratch,” Mr Finn said.
“Back then we had just one helicopter in Townsville, which transferred guests to and from Orpheus Island.”
Now, Nautilus has almost 30 helicopters in its rapidly growing fleet and about 65 employees.
Based in Cairns, the company’s turnover has grown from “a couple of hundred thousand dollars” in 2012 to about $15 million.
“The plan was always to build the business,” he said.
Although he is not one to look back, Mr Finn’s career has been forged on taking on the unknown.
After finishing his carpentry apprenticeship he and two mates left Kyabram to “live and work around Australia”.
He ended up spending seven years in Mount Isa before moving to Cairns, where he gained his pilot’s licence when he was 26.
During his tenure at Nautilus Mr Finn, in partnership with Mr Morris, has not shied away from opportunities.
In 2013 the company bought Heli Charters in Cairns and then further expanded its fleet the following year, when it took over Cape York Helicopters.
In a few months two new Bell 505 helicopters, worth about $1.74 million each, are set to arrive in Cairns.
“We’ll be the first to take delivery of them, outside of Canada, in the world,” Mr Finn said.
“The business model has always been to have a high standard of product.
“We could have made a higher profit margin, but we’ve
MOST PEOPLE IN MY POSITION WOULD PROBABLY BE UNI GRADUATES, OR FROM THAT KIND OF BACKGROUND, SO IT’S REQUIRED A LOT OF SELFEVOLVEMENT AARON FINN
chosen to upgrade the fleet to ensure we have the very best of the best.”
While scenic flights for international tourists are at its core, Nautilus has diversified heavily in recent years to include a training school and utility services.
Last month the company won an important contract to provide search and rescue services in NSW on behalf of the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter.
Nautilus has been angling to have one of its helicopters used for a similar purpose in Far North Queensland.
“We’re still pushing for them to use us. It’s very political,” Mr Finn said.
“Hopefully by winning the Westpac contract down south, they’ll take a bit more notice and see we’re serious about this.”
While a high-flyer in the aviation industry, Mr Finn’s feet remain well and truly grounded.
He said much of his business acumen had been acquired through “learning on the go” and bouncing ideas off his colleagues.
“Most people in my position would probably be uni graduates, or from that kind of background, so it’s required a lot of self-evolvement,” the Trinity Park resident said.
“I’ve always made my own luck and not relied on some- one to do it for me. I’m not scared to make a decision or fall on my sword if it’s the wrong one.
“There’s no good being like everyone else or worrying about everyone else.”
While he flies less often these days, Mr Finn said the view of the Reef from above was still thrilling.
“When you’re taking tourists out, you need to remember that feeling from when you saw it for the first time,” he said.
“You’ve just all these colours, and every day is different – it’s an amazing site.”