OUR TEAM

Michael McConachy

With a wealth of experience in the areas of business, tourism, agriculture, construction and aviation, Michael is Managing Director of several local companies. His strong understanding of governance and accountability led to his appointment as Chairman of the Kimberley Development Commission.

Michael is on the Western Australian Regional Development Council and is also involved in a number of community groups including the East Kimberley Marketing Group. He holds both commercial helicopter and fixed wing pilot licenses with many years of Kimberley flying experience.

Paul Cripps

Having worked for HeliSpirit as a pilot since 2006, Paul understands all aspects of the business. Paul has over 2,800 hours of experience flying helicopters in the Kimberley and is respected locally as a safe and efficient pilot.

He has a strong focus on safety, compliance and customer service and extensive prior management experience in both the construction and retail industries. Operations Manager for HeliSpirit from 2010 to 2017, Paul moved into the General Manager role at the beginning of 2018, overseeing day to day management and providing high-level support to the Managing Director.

Brett Wright

Brett brings a wealth of aviation expertise to the HeliSpirit team, with a diverse flying career spanning firefighting, powerline patrols, high-altitude operations, aerial shooting, and overwater missions. A Grade 1 flight instructor with over eight years of training and checking experience, Brett’s impressive skill set ensures exceptional leadership in his role.

Brett frequently travels to HeliSpirit’s seasonal bases, overseeing critical operational roles. As Head of Flight Operations (HOFO) for Part 133, Brett also serves as Head of Training and Checking (HOTC) and Head of Operations (HOO) for Part 138, managing aerial work operations and ensuring excellence in training and compliance across the organisation.

Originally from New Zealand, Brett moved to Cairns in 2014, where he honed his expertise in flying charter and aerial work operations and carried out training and checking for company pilots. His career has taken him across the globe, including Bhutan, where he conducted high-altitude rescues and trained local pilots, and Indonesia, where he contributed to firefighting operations. Most recently, he worked in Far North Queensland on powerline patrols and maritime surveillance.

Tim Anders

Tim came to the Kimberley in 1993, where he worked in the cattle industry, mineral exploration, tourism, and the archaeological recording of rock-art sites before obtaining his pilot licence in 1999.

From 1999 to 2012 Tim accumulated five and a half thousand hours of incident-free flying throughout the top end of Australia with HeliSpirit before leaving the industry to pursue other endeavours in the East Kimberley; five years on he returned to resume his role as Operations Manager and continues to deliver safe and efficient helicopter services to all our clients while providing knowledge and mentoring to the junior pilots.

Rosie Duffy

Rosie joined the HMC Group team in early 2021. Prior to this, Rosie worked across media, marketing and communications for 11 years, and was responsible for media and PR functions for several national sporting events. During that time, Rosie led numerous national marketing campaigns with large Corporate Companies and has highly-developed marketing and PR skills across all media including digital, TV and print.

Having worked on a number of key high-profile brand launches, Rosie has strong experience in product and brand development as well as strategic planning and management. Having lived in the Kimberley periodically for several years, Rosie has extensive knowledge of the East Kimberley and is passionate about promoting the region as a tourism destination to domestic and international travellers.

Darryn Nicholson

Darryn has been involved in Aviation operations within Botswana for 16 years and holds Commercial Helicopter and Fixed-wing licences in South Africa and Botswana, with over 6,000 incident-free hours flying experience in Africa.

Over the past 12 years Darryn has been active in various roles through the aviation management chain from Chief pilot to Accountable Manager along with Safety and Quality roles. Darryn is an enthusiastic entrepreneur looking forward to growing HeliSpirit footprint with a focus on continued customer satisfaction and safety with the support of the General Manager and Head of Flying Operations.