HNZ Group is constantly making news as we continue to grow and deliver world-class service. Learn more about what we’ve been up to lately by reviewing the following news stories and articles.
Canadian Helicopters’ engineers have been hard at work this past winter working on upgrades to the company’s fleet. Pictured above is GOKL (Bell 212) after undergoing some major aircraft and avionics upgrades. The fleet is looking good and is ready for a busy summer season ahead.
When Canadian Helicopters’ employees donated to the Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal Fund, the company matched the donation to make a total donation of $15,170.00 to help those affected by the war in Ukraine. As we head into winter, our thoughts remain with the families and communities impacted during these troubling times.
2022 is a monumental year in Canadian Helicopters’ history. On April 18th of this year, Canadian Helicopters celebrated the 75th Anniversary of its incorporation.
Our story began in 1947 when three Royal Canadian Air Force veterans (Barney Bent, Carl Agar, and Alf Stringer) purchased a Bell 47B3 helicopter, call sign CF-FZX, and founded Okanagan Air Services Ltd. Their vision was to provide orchards and farmland in British Columbia with an innovative form of pest control by way of aerial spraying and dusting. Little did they know, their modest concept would grow into a remarkable legacy.
From those humble beginnings, the company transformed and grew. A series of mergers, acquisitions (and at times disposals) involved some notable Canadian and international helicopter companies: Viking, Associated, Sealand, and Helicopters New Zealand, to name a few. The company also grew to include a maintenance, repair and support business which forms a substantial part of its activities today. Canadian Helicopters developed and mastered safe mountain flying techniques as well as advanced operational and Night Vision Goggle training, now delivered though its sister company, Topflight Elite Training and Charter. Ownership of Canadian Helicopters has changed throughout its history including both public and private ownership. Canadian Helicopters, in its recent form, has provided services in many parts of the world including Canada, Asia, Asia Pacific, Antarctica and the United States.
Today, Canadian Helicopters is privately owned and employs over 400 employees through its subsidiaries. The enduring success of the company can largely be attributed to the dedication of those employees, both past and present, and the support of our customers, some of whom have been with us since the very early years. Thank you for your ongoing support through the decades.
Please join me in celebrating a significant year in Canadian Helicopters’ history.
Don Wall
President and CEO
Canadian Helicopters Limited
Canadian Helicopters and its subsidiaries have been providing helicopter transportation service to Antarctic scientific research expeditions for the past four decades. The research projects involve a variety of activities including base building, ship support, a variety of LIDAR and Aeromagnetic surveys, Meteorite hunting and ice reconnaissance. Canadian Helicopters has worked with a number of research programs including the national polar programs of South Korea, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Recently, CBC News did a short feature on the Thwaites “Doomsday” Glacier and one of Canadian Helicopters’ aircraft appeared briefly in the clip. Visit CBC News to view.
Two of Canadian Helicopters’ Sikorsky S-61N helicopters recently returned to Canada at the conclusion of an overseas contract. Pictured above, GJQN is being offloaded at the Edmonton International Airport. The aircraft have undergone maintenance updates and are ready for service in Canada; one has already been busy supporting fire suppression activities in Quebec. The S-61N is the largest helicopter type in Canadian Helicopters’ fleet. The company now has three S-61N helicopters operating in Canada.
SkyAlyne has officially unveiled its team of strategic team members with which it will pursue the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. Canadian Helicopters is proud to be a part of this team.
Canadian Helicopters already has an extensive background providing pilot training and maintenance services to the Canadian Forces and is excited to be aligned with other aviation and defence subcontractors.
Details of the SkyAlyne partnership are included in the linked press release.
July 23, 2020 – One of Canadian Helicopters’ Sikorsky S-61N helicopters (C-GJQG) has undergone a significant maintenance project including a major Phase (1 to 7) 10,500 hour inspection, new interior lining installation and application of complete interior and exterior paint. It also went through a major avionics upgrade including the installation of dual State-of-the-art Garmin GTN750 Nav/Comms, dual State-of-the-art Astronautics AFU 4700 Primary Flight Displays, a Garmin GWX75H Weather Radar as well as a Garmin GTX335R ADSB-enabled Transponder. Many thanks to the crew at Heliwelders, Maxcraft Avionics and for the support provided by many Canadian Helicopters employees. Heli-welders employees in foreground.