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John Eacott’s aviation career has spanned 49 years and he’s still adding time on top of that today as an active commercial pilot.
He has spent a huge amount of time flying over oceans as an ex-Royal Navy pilot and multiple stints in the oil industry.
He is also the first nuclear qualified helicopter pilot I’ve ever spoken to and we cover that in the interview.
John has worked for several of the larger companies as well as owned his own helicopter company.
Police, firefighting, aerial photography, banner towing, charter, heli-skiiing, traffic reporting, longlining and film flying – you name it – including flying in antarctica. – John has done it.
He is also heavily involved in the industry outside the cockpit being a long time member and office holder in The Honourable Company of Air Pilots and is a frequent contributor to online forums.
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00:50 49 years in aviation
01:53 Meet John Eacott
02:25 6 yrs old and wanted to be a pilot
03:40 Into the Royal Navy
04:40 Flying training and Wings
06:10 Wessex helicopter on Anti-submarine operations
08:30 Sea King trials unit and introduction to service
10:20 Travelling the globe
10:50 Nuclear depth charges
12:00 SAR
13:08 Nigeria time on oil and gas with Alouettes and floats
15:04 North Sea flying 212s living on the rigs
17:10 1979 working out of Derby and Broome (Australia)
19:30 OMEGA navigation system
21:40 Navigating off a plotting board
23:53 Okanagan Helicopters Australia and S-61
26:02 Bombay and getting engaged
27:55 S-76s in Bass Strait and IFR helicopter operations
29:22 Victorian Police Air Wing (Dauphin)
30:58 TV stations and National Safety Council
31:45 Bob Jane T-Marts and V8 Super Cars
32:40 Low level filming accident
35:05 NSW Fire Fighting
37:05 Trained reactions in emergency
38:30 Twin engine emergencies
39:50 Airmanship
43:42 Guild of Air Pilots
44:40 Pilot-less helicopters
46:30 Aviator – not a systems operator
47:45 Flag flying with BK117
49:55 Antartica helicopter operations
53:50 Iceberg breaking off
56:20 Freedom of the City and Guild Livery, Master Air Pilot No. 1144
57:25 Tips for new pilots
1:02:20 Leave a comment on the blog
1:02:48 Pilot recruiting interview – send in your questions to [email protected]
1:03:50 Sponsors trainmorepilots.com
Links from this week’s episode:
John’s Aerial Photo Gallery
The Honorable Company of Air Pilots
[Tweet “I’ve never worked a day in my life. I’ve just flown for a living. Its not a job, its a vocation.”]
[Tweet “The controls would actually go the opposite way of what you wanted, which was character building.”]
[Tweet “A calm day in the North Sea is 20kts. #helicopters “]
As usual, please feel free to continue the conversation in the comments.