History

70 Years of Engineering History

"The ‘Fieldair Way’ embodies much about what it is to be a New Zealander. It reflects an ability to think outside the square and offer outstanding customer service."

The sense of Innovation or thinking outside the box has long been in the genes of Fieldair and can be traced back to its inception. The early years of its history saw the founder Lawson Field, a trailblazer in farming, introduce the concept of aerial topdressing, which was soon widely applied in commercial operations.

During the past 70 odd years of its exploration and operation, Fieldair has developed from its early days of topdressing with Tiger Moth to the present extensive operations carried out at four geographical locations throughout New Zealand, and with wide-ranging capacities covering full MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) aviation engineering, air freight, ground support, etc. it has become a one-stop service provider for a diverse range of customers from small GA to major airlines.

Woven into its fabric, the “Fieldair Way” is the core strength the company can rely on to grow as much in the past as when looking into the future. As the former General Manager Charles Giliam put it, “The ‘Fieldair Way’ embodies much about what it is to be a New Zealander. It reflects an ability to think outside the square and offer outstanding customer service. It shows up in innovative and effective products and the ability to assist operators from Stewart Island to Kiribati. Most of all it embodies the proud history and reliability one would expect from being an industry leader for the last 70 odd years. It’s a great legacy to hold on to and one that we’re all very proud of.”

Towards the Future

We are flying into a future of uncertainties; we are flying into a future of opportunities.

The aviation industry has long grappled with disruptive changes, but the era of transformation it is going through is nowhere to be seen in the past, and the innovation in technological changes is the driving force of this transitional period, and will become one of the defining factors in shaping the future of the industry.

Whether it be the unmanned aircraft operations, the autonomous instruments and ultralight materials or the push for digitalisation and interconnectivity and the temporary conversion of the passenger to cargo flights as the industry adapts to the global pandemic COVID-19, we are seeing that the innovative technologies and approaches are playing an essential role in bringing about these advancements that are redefining the aviation industry.

During the past 70 odd years of its operation, Fieldair places a great emphasis on innovative engineering, and the aptitude to come up with solutions for our customers by thinking outside the box; the No.8 wire mentality has long been part of its DNA here. Fieldair has also been fortunate enough to have all the industry partners to work closely with throughout the years of its history, and it would not have been what it is now were it not for their ongoing support.

Risks and opportunities always go hand in hand, and there are opportunities to be explored if we can think differently. Fieldair is committed to helping our customers navigate through the uncertainties with innovative approaches to engineering issues. In collaboration with other industry partners, we can take calculated risks and make effective use of the opportunities that lie in front of us.