On Tobi Holliger | HeliOps Magazine

Tobi Holliger grew up in real helicopter country: Switzerland.

“From an early age, I admired how pilots managed to fly with such precision, whether it was for utility or HEMS. However, my family had no connection to aviation, nor was I the type of boy who dreamed of flying.” Tobi actually always wanted to become a farmer, but as no one in his family was into farming, he chose the academic route and went to high school and university. Nearing the end of a Bachelor of Business and Administration, he felt the urge to pursue a career that would be connected to a passion rather than just making a living. “My hobbies at that time were mainly sports-based, but I knew I was already too old, not to mention not good enough at one particular sport, to make a living from that.”

“At some point, I asked myself what got my attention, aside from tractors, when I was a child – and that’s how helicopters came back into the picture!”

He did his research and decided to give it a go. To pay for it, he started working at a retirement home three days a week between classes. It was just enough to pay for rent, food, and one or two lessons per month on an R22. “I knew that it was going to be difficult to get a hold of a pilot job after, but I always justified my expenses for flight school by comparing what other people my age spent their money on.” While his family may not have had an aviation background, Tobi received a lot of support from them in the form of cheaper living arrangements back home and the luxury of a hot meal waiting for him in the evenings. “They were very understanding and really did everything for me to be able to chase this dream.”

At the rate of a couple of lessons a month, it took some time to finish his PPL, but after roughly one and a half years, Tobi took his skill test and completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Bern a few weeks later. “As I really wanted to make my way into aviation, I looked for job opportunities in that industry that would utilize my skills in business and the knowledge of a PPL holder.” He found one as a dispatch & HEMS TC/Safety Pilot with a Swiss HEMS & VIP Aviation company, and in the following year and a half, managed to get his MOU(H) (Swiss Mountain Licence) as well as the CPL(H) with ATPL/IR credits at Airport Helicopter AHB AG, where he had completed his PPL.

“At that time, the founder of Airport Helicopter handed over the company to one of his long-time employees, Dominik Simmen.” Knowing that Dominik would bring a lot of effort and a breath of fresh air, Tobi reached out to him to see if he could use someone to help with the office work. “We agreed on part-time employment with an hourly salary, as I wanted to return to university anyway.” Six months later, Tobi signed a full-time contract and has worked there ever since.

“Airport Helicopter has been my sole employer as a professional pilot, and I definitely can’t complain about all the opportunities I’ve been given, the tasks I’m entrusted to handle, and the diversity of jobs in and out of the cockpit I have. My week often starts with no flights booked on me nowadays, as I have plenty of office work to do, but then often ends with 10-20 flight hours of short-notice missions, mainly on the Bell 429 and AS350. I get to work in the morning with only office work scheduled and might end up on a glacier twice, a taxi flight to Monaco, and an overnight stay in Germany in that one ‘office day.'”

Over the past four years, Tobi has gone on to complete his CFI, CFI MOU (limited to 2000m AGL), the Bell 429 type rating, and is currently completing the IR(H). He also fills the roles of the NPCT and Deputy SM.

“The perfect day for me is filled with unanticipated adventures, new destinations to prepare for in a very short time, or even in flight. I also love meeting people at airports and heliports all over the place. Often, they recognize me from Instagram, which makes life more interesting as well! Challenging flight conditions, whether it’s weather, high altitude, or packed airspace, give the best and most memorable days. There is nothing repetitive or descriptive about my job, and that’s what makes it interesting.”

“Honestly, I’m one of the lucky guys – the hard work and dedication actually paid off, which is not granted in our industry. However, as long as you’re willing to do more than those to your left and right, you’ll find your way in. It really is just like sports; you have to work hard without knowing whether you’ll ever make it or not, and you have to be at peace with that situation. Forcing too hard and going all in can turn out devastating. That was also the reason I decided to complete at least my bachelor’s degree in business. You need to have a plan B – not only for the plan itself but also to give you serenity regarding the development of your pilot career.”

“I think we are all born equal, gifted with a different set of skills and, of course, in a different environment, which makes a huge difference. There are probably thousands of people who would be more talented than I am at the controls, but the milieu they were born into does not allow them to pursue a career like mine.”

Tobi is working on his IR in Norway on an EC135 to convert to the Bell 429 later on. “An entirely new way of flying is opening up to me. It’s a great opportunity to develop my aviation skill set further. My hopes for the future are to keep doing what I’m doing, enjoy life in and out of the cockpit, and get as much out of my time on earth as much as possible.”