Graeme Gillies was born in Melbourne, the only son of Wing Commander Ron Gillies who flew Sunderlands out of England during WWII and later flew for Ansett from Rose Bay in Sydney to Lord Howe Island.

He is also the grandson of Norman Gillies, an engineer for the Australian Air Force during WWI and was responsible for building the first aeroplane for the Australian Air Force living in the first house located on Point Cook.

It is not surprising that Graeme would follow in the family footsteps but not quite in the way his father would have hoped. As a young boy, he joined the Air Cadets but for many years Graeme avoided the aviation industry possibly because of the strong involvement from his family.

At the age of 34 he obtained his Commercial Helicopter licence in California and headed back to Australia to conquer the world. This was not to happen immediately, but 6 months later and his first mustering job came along on "Magoura" station in the Gulf Country of North Queensland.

The next year he joined up with the Heli-Muster mob over in the Territory and the Kimberlies where he spent two years mustering for John Weymouth.

Next came a job in Sydney running the Darling Harbour Heliport followed by long line sling work in the remote Star Mountains of Papua New Guinea. 

In 1988 he and his wife travelled north to the Sunshine Coast hoping for a healthier and quieter lifestyle. He obtained his Grade 11 Instructor rating with the illustrious Peter Spoor and for a few years taught for other schools in the area.

Finally, it was time to start up his own distinct style of school and thus became Blue Tongue Helicopter Services. Helicopter ratings include AS350, Bell 206A&B, Bell 206, Bell 47G, Bell 47T, Bell 47J, H500D,KH4, R22, R44, Rotorway Exec 90 & 162F, Sling, Water, Mustering, Approved Pilot for Mustering Endorsements, Chief Flying Officer, Grade 1 Instructor, CASA Approved Testing Officer, Dangerous Goods Acceptance.

Besides aviation, Graeme's other passion is film and television having made several documentaries and television programs. He used his first Bell 47, VH-MQU at the Warner Bros. Studios on the Gold Coast for the re-make of the Skippy" series.

With all the new digital equipment available, it is now possible to create all our own training videos. We also video a student's navigational exercise and can replay the exercise afterwards, to show them.

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