Flying miles ahead of dishing up meals

FLYING over some of Australia’s most spectacular built and natural landmarks every day can get boring.

But Nautilus Aviation helicopter pilot Anthony Crestani, who is head of check and training, is reminded of the grand beauty of the Great Barrier Reef and the breathtaking enormity of Sydney Harbour when he sees the look of wonder on his passengers’ faces.

The 43-year-old has worked as a chopper pilot for 19 years in NSWs and Queensland, after throwing in a chef’s job in his early 20s.

“I did my apprenticeship and was a chef for one or two years before realising it wasn’t for me,” Mr Crestani said.

“Where I used to work in Sydney, I used to see them all the time and then I went on a joy flight one day, thought it was pretty cool, looked into and went from there.

“It was an escape from the hospitality industry. I quit being a chef and did training full time in Sydney for a year.”

While the theory side of learning how to fly was not so much fun, every time the now Caravonica resident got to take a flight made the hard slog worth it.

“The practical part of the flying is the best part, so usually if you enjoy something you usually do well at it,” he said.

“It’s probably like when you learn to drive a car. At first it is a bit hard and then it all falls in to place. I wouldn’t say the theory side was easy or fun but it was quite interesting learning about aerodynamics and meteorology.”

The job has taken Mr Crestani to amazing spots all over the country.

Weather is the biggest downside to the job and can delay or cancel flights.

Mr Crestani has 8000 hours of flying under his belt and the company’s 28 pilots undergo six-monthly check flights to maintain standards.