The switch from skydive instructor to mechanical maintenance might seem a big leap, but for Glen, he’s loving the change.

Glen has been at LPC for 3 years, working as a heavy diesel mechanic, but when he was 20, Glen completed his Diploma in Commercial Skydiving and became an instructor.

Starting in Queenstown, he spent the next 7 years skydiving, traveling around the world.

“At 15,000 feet it can be -30 degrees so it’s a tough job in the winter, which is why I liked to travel, to catch the summer seasons,” says Glen.

His favourite place to spend time was Norway, as the people there nice and friendly.

“It’s kind of like New Zealand, but everything is a lot older so the mountains are bigger.”

Having completed 6500 sky dives, and 120 base jumps he was looking for a new challenge and started working at Shotover Jet in Queenstown.

“I’ve always liked engines, but it wasn’t till that job that I started working as a mechanic, as some weeks I would be driving the boats, some weeks, I would be working on the maintenance of them,” says Glen.

Moving back to Christchurch to be closer to family, Glen got a job with our maintenance team.

Keeping our heavy plant in check means that every day at LPC is different.

“It all depends on the breakdowns that happen in a shift. Some days you may only get one breakdown and you can carry on with the scheduled maintenance, or some days you might have 10,” says Glen.

“Sometimes straddles will breakdown in the middle of the patch, and you have to go and sort them out there to get them to a safe point, or the straddle drivers can bring them into the workshop so we can see what’s happened.”

Glen is also looking forward to the new workshop opening May next year.

“It’s been a long time coming, even before I started, so it’s exciting to be part of tooling the new facilities and making a space that works for us,” he says.

“We currently supply a lot of our own tools so we are working through what kind of set up will be in the new space and how we will store everything.”

But for Glen, one of the best things about LPC is the lifestyle that comes with it.

“I love working here, some people don’t like shift work, but I love it. Having that extra time, means I can still get out and do what I want to do,” he says.

This usually means getting out on his bike.

“I have a Triumph Speed Triple which I love to go exploring on. Recently, I did Christchurch to Cape Reinga which was amazing,” says Glen.

“The next big bucket list trip is the USA. I’d love to do a ride starting in LA and travelling up to Alaska.

“Now the borders are open again, its time to start saving and planning.”