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 provides helicopter support to Arctic and Antarctic exploration expeditions. We have been operating in the Arctic since the early 1960s and in Antarctica since 1979. Pictured above is an AS355N on board an adventure and exploration cruise ship currently operating in Antarctica. Canadian Helicopters provides all operations and maintenance support including pilots and AMEs.
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.
March 2, 2020 – Canadian Helicopters currently has four helicopters in the Îles de la Madeleine providing transportation for tour groups organized by Hôtels Accents – Château Madelinot. The tours provide the unique opportunity to view Harp Seals on the ice floes around the islands. More information on the tours can be found here.