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Scott Menzies 50 Chief pilot/director HeliTours BACKGROUND: Scott Menzies started out chasing cows in his first chopper. He now runs the Coast’s largest helicopter company.

THE best way Scott Menzies can predict his future ... is to create it.

And so over a 30-year-career, that is just what Menzies has done to the point where his love of aviation now sees him as the chief pilot and director of Helitours, at Marina Mirage.

In all, Scott has eight helicopters at his disposal including the Airbus, Bell and Robinson.

The diversity of his career is endless: firefighting, search and rescue, flying Hollywood A-listers around the country.

But at the end of the day, Scott’s addiction to his profession lies in one simple tenet ... to fly is his everything.

From hang gliders to helicopters, it’s been one heck of a ride ... But it feels like yesterday! I’ve been flying since I was 14 ... first hang gliders then ultralights, skydiving ... I love flying so it made sense to turn my passion into a business.

How did Helitours start? In the early days, I set myself up for Expo 88 to do aerial photography, and then that little chopper did everything from chasing cows to doing survey work in the bush. The fleet grew, and as the fleet grew so did the jobs and the diversity.

So there’s no such thing as a typical work day? There’s no such thing as Groundhog Day, which I love. I can go from doing aerial lifting work – recently I had to lift seven to eight tonnes of equipment on to the roof of Versace Hotel – to helping restring powerlines that have come down in storms. But the most fantastic thing about my job is that I get to meet exceptional people from all walks of life.

Like Angelina Jolie? Yes ... and Brad. We do a lot of aerial work on production jobs. We did some work on Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson when he was out here ... and yes Angelina and Brad when they were out here filming Unbroken. One day I actually flew Angelina, Brad and the kids to Byron ... Brad was learning to fly a helicopter at the time so we spent a lot of time talking about flying. I can’t say too much because of confidentiality but they were all terrific.

I heard a whisper that you’ve also had Stormin’ Norman Schwarzkopf as a passenger? Now he was very, very interesting ... he was the five-star general in charge of Desert Storm ... and he had a lot of aviation knowledge.

Where to next for your company? The Gold Coast is in an upswing at the moment ... and the Chinese market is huge.

We are going to build a new departure and arrivals lounge at Marina Mirage and Mariners Cove Marina - we are hoping it is operational by next year.

It will be a three-level floating building with a helipad on the roof. We want to be able to hold 150 people on the top deck and process another 100 people below.

We’re also hoping to get a lot of work ahead of, and during, the Commonwealth Games.

We have been asked to be available for some production work during the Games, and to provide air support for aerial vision.

Right now we are doing some production work for TV and commercial clients.

But tours are still an important part of your business? Very much so. When the GFC hit we had to diversify the business and tourism was an important part of that and it remains a large proportion of our business.

But we’ve also got to keep looking ahead which is why we are upgrading our facilities here.

On top of scenic or charter flights, we do airport transfers and banner towings and that kind of thing but we’re pretty excited about a high-end experience we’re about to launch.

One of our pilots is a Michelinstar chef so we are going to set up a dining experience, where you can be flown to a beautiful remote area and then your pilot will present you with an eight to 10-course degustation. We’re actually pretty excited by this.

And helicopters, do they deserve a better reputation for safety? The helicopter is the safest aircraft in the sky ... and I’m not just saying that.

If they’re maintained properly, things that need lubrication - need to get it consistently and regularly. General charter and joyflights are the safest flying you can do.

And people don’t realise, they glide very well. If there is a problem, they can be set down anywhere. MY BEST ADVICE:

You have to be passionate about everything you do ... and you must have a plan and make something happen every day. We only have one life and we don’t realise how short it is.