Texas job far from Hawke's Bay home

CHOPPER: David Satchwell manoeuvres his smaller helicopter, based at his Eskdale property.

THE Lone Star of Texas on David Satchwell's Eskdale home's gate gives a clear indication of where he spends most of the year.
The oil equipment trader and scrap metal merchant has seen more of the United States than most since arriving as a tourist in 1978.
"I got into truck driving because I was broke and wanted to see the country," he said.
"Eventually I bought my own truck, then another. I had about nine trucks at one time and a bunch of drivers."
His company moved oil rigs and drilling equipment, including disposing of surplus/redundant equipment.
Instead of being paid just for transporting equipment he entered the scrap-metal and used equipment market as well, based close to Houston.
"It just fell into place I guess. It just grew from the trucking business. I started working for the oil companies on the demolition side - cleaning up their projects and whatever.
"Now I buy and sell used oilfield equipment and do a little bit of everything else."
He returns to his Hawke's Bay home about twice each year, where he retains strong ties with friends and family. His 92-year-old father, Keith, regularly features in Hawke's Bay Today's farming pages due to dog-trialling success.
Mr Satchwell wants to return to New Zealand but macro-economics have postponed his plans. Depressed scrap metal prices and the plummeting oil price has changed his industry.
Business had "definitely gone backwards".
"It was a bad year last year and this year looks like it is going to be even worse."
Houston is regarded as a world capital of the oil and gas industry, with more than 5000 energy firms operating in the region.
University of Houston Professor Bill Gilmer said a worst-case scenario of the oil-price fall was a 33 per cent reduction in oil-company capital spending in 2015, resulting in a loss of 75,000 Houston jobs.
Houston added 100,000 new jobs every year since 2011.
Mr Satchwell said he was trying to downsize his business to move back to New Zealand.
"There is a lot of inventory over there that I don't really want to give away - I have a seismograph boat over there, that I bought in Alaska, which is keeping me tied down until I sell it."
His plans in New Zealand revolve around his love of hunting and fishing, in which he has been indulging Texan friends during the holiday season.
With his two helicopters he hopes to offer heli-hunting. The larger helicopter is currently leased to the Department of Conservation in Gisborne.
Charters would be offered from his 24m catamaran, Pacific Drifter, the largest boat in Napier marina.
A crew of Hawke's Bay people sailed it to Napier, reporting epic storms. Mr Satchwell was not worried by the weather.
"It was a good way to spend lots of time drinking beer and fishing."
His partner, Leigh-Anne Heays, laughingly says she was forbidden to join the delivery trip of the New Zealand-designed boat.
"I wasn't allowed to go because I only wanted to go from Houston to Panama," she said.
The two were childhood friends in Putorino. "He was more my sister and brother's age and I was always following them around - they used to beat me up.
"And then I go to America - just for a holiday - but he had me working on bulldozers and cranes. He said he'd keep me on."