As a Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) Senior Base Engineer at our Brisbane Base, Nick enjoys pulling aircraft apart and putting them back together. At home, his two energetic kids have taught him that, unlike aircraft, life doesn’t come with a manual.
Working in a busy multipurpose hangar is not for the faint of heart. Aircraft and staff are constantly moving in and out, and every job is against the clock to get our aircraft back in the air as quickly as possible.
“It takes a certain mindset to be able to deal with the chaos of what a hangar can be and then focus on what you’re doing,” Nick said.
“Luckily, I’m surrounded by a great like-minded team who have a passion for pulling things apart and putting them back together.
“When I get home, it’s a different type of chaos.”
That chaos often comes in the form of soccer training, swimming classes, and Barbie dolls with tiny plastic hair ties constantly stuck in their hair that need immediate removal, tasked by his five-year-old daughter.
Nick’s work life follows him home as he’s the go-to Mr Fix-It, currently working on restoring a 25-year-old toy horse his daughter was gifted, which no longer trots.
“I’ve put my skills to the test trying to work out how to get this thing going,” Nick said.
“It’s still a work in progress.”
It’s hardly surprising that Nick’s life revolves around fixing things.
Aviation runs in his blood, as his father held a private pilot license, while his grandfather and great-grandfather were both aircraft engineers like himself.
While it’s too early to tell if his kids will follow the family’s aviation legacy, Nick’s proud of them, no matter where they land.
“As a kid, I can remember pulling stuff apart, working out how it works and putting it back together,” he said.
“It’s nice to reflect back and remember what I was doing as a kid, I’m now being paid to do. That’s pretty cool.”
Beyond the engineering lesson of fixing what’s broken, Nick hopes to pass on to his children the simple lesson of kindness.
“You don’t know what other people are going through, and someone might be having the worst day of their life,” Nick said.
“Generally speaking, if they are on our aircraft, they’re not having the best time, so it’s important to always be kind.”
This Father’s Day, Nick is looking forward to a coffee and maybe breakfast in bed, grateful for the love, laughter and lessons that come with raising two kids. Because while aircraft may come with a manual, parenting doesn’t, and for Nick, that’s what makes being a dad the most rewarding challenge of all.
