Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Andy was introduced to the bush at a young age. He started out in the safari industry as a guide, leading walking and canoeing trips in the Zambezi Valley. Eager to experience more of the continent’s wild places, Andy spent the following two decades guiding private safaris throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. During this time he also helped to coordinate Anti-Poaching operations in the vast protected areas of Tanzania and it was here in 2008, that Andy learnt to fly a microlight for conservation efforts.

Shortly after that he moved to the USA to obtain his helicopter licenses and then worked a season as an instructor and tour pilot in the Rockies, Colorado.

Since returning to East Africa he has been fortunate to fly a wide variety of roles including aerial fire-fighting, medical evacuations, wildlife darting and relocations, filming, tourism and anti-poaching deployments. Andy joined the Tropic Helicopters team in April 2021 and assumed the role of Chief Pilot in Tanzania.

Rachel wears many hats. From overseeing operations since the company’s start to meticulously managing flight-scheduling, she’s the backbone of our flight operations. With deep knowledge of Tanzania’s travel destinations, she is the go-to staff member for agents, operators, and clients, Rachel ensures everyone is on the same page and happy, fostering seamless communication and satisfaction across the board.

Mathew has 6 years experience in flight operations. He joined Tropic Helicopters Team in 2023 as a flight operations officer. Together with his colleague Rachel, he is responsible for flight inquiries, quotations, bookings, flight planning and logistics.

Mathew works closely with our pilots, management and ground team to ensure the smooth running of the entire Tropic Helicopters operations.

Born and raised in South Africa, Dale Jardine developed a passion for travel and exploration during their formative years at a boarding school. Early in his professional journey, he dedicated his time to kayaking in diverse locations worldwide, establishing a home base along the Zambezi River in Zambia.

The dormant dream of flying found its awakening in 2010 when a significant opportunity presented itself. Since then, Dale’s fervor for exploration and aviation has propelled them to traverse the globe, from enchanting destinations such as Hawaii, Botswana, Zambia, and the Cayman Islands to his home in South Africa and, presently, Tanzania.

Hugh was born in the UK but moved to Africa at the age of 7. With a grandfather in the RAF his love for flying was ignited at a young age. He did his fixed wing license in SA and then went on to fly in Botswana and Tanzania. He then went back to SA to get his Heli license where he did some flying in Tanzania and Zambia. He is excited to be flying and exploring Tanzanian skies again but this time in a helicopter.

Cyprian was born in western Kenya, schooled at Eldoret and attained his diploma in Aeronautical engineering. He got the opportunity nurture his career at Tropic Air Kenya in 2009 for his industrial attachment later in 2010 at Phoenix Aviation Wilson airport for the second run of the attachment.

In 2011, Cyprian joined Tropic Air Kenya as an intern where he worked on both helicopters and fixed wing. In 2013, he was contracted to COBHAM Aviation for air support of British Army Training Unit Kenya under the stewardship of Tropic Air.

In 2020, he worked for various companies to advance his career and rejoined Tropic Helicopters in 2023 as a helicopter technician.