Major Eelco S.Tolsma joined the Royal Netherlands Air Force in 1987 to become a helicopter pilot. After earning his wings he started his flying career at 300 squadron at Deelen AB which he soon left to join 303 Search and Rescue Squadron at Leeuwarden AB in the northern part of the Netherlands.

Major Tolsma kept flying the SAR helicopters until 2015. During his flying years he served as deputy commander and commander of the 303 SAR squadron, he was a flight instructor on the PC-7 and was instructor/examiner on the AB412 helicopter as well as the B412 simulator. He has extensive operational experience as a helicopter planner during military missions and SAR.

Apart from active flying, he served as the Maritime Helicopter Procurement Officer at the Air Force HQ in Breda and as the long term helicopter planner(N3.5) at the Navy HQ in Den Helder. His posting before joining the JAPCC-team was at the CAOC Uedem as the Personnel Recovery Operations Officer.