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JULY AUG 2021 CANADA’S NATIONAL AVIATION MAGAZINE
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Top 40 Under 40 The future of Canadian aviation and aerospace
Aircraft Luxury Tax
Federal budget impact
Eyes on the Sky
Inside YOW’s pioneering drone detecton program
Karl Loken, Air Canada
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UPFRONT 6 Leading edge
Supporting Canadian drone growth
8 On the fly
Flair 737 Max, Guérard to lead Transat A.T.
12 Alternate approach
The need for a Federal reopening plan
13 Air traffic
Inside YOW ’s drone detection program
14 Position report
Luxury tax impact on aviation
BACK 50 Marketplace 54 On final
Supersonic flights are set to return
PHOTOS: BOOM/UNITED AIRLINES (RENDERED IMAGE), STEVE WHITBY/CONAIR
From top: The Conair RJ85 is one of the world’s most powerful air tankers for fire suppression. P.33. United Airlines commits to Boom Overture. P. 54
Top 40 Under 40 recipients (clockwise from top) Johnathan Sawicki, Manager, Safety and Environment, Sunwing Airlines; Thuva Senthilnathan, Senior Manager, Commercial Development Programs, Bell Textron Canada; and Captain Joelle Thorgrimson, Flight Surgeon, Royal Canadian Air Force.
FEATURES 16 TOP 40 UNDER 40
A new generation of leadership and innovation helping to drive Canada aviation and aerospace BY JON ROBINSON
33 AERIAL FIREFIGHTING DIRECTORY
Leading wildfire agencies, operators, services and suppliers in Canada and around the world BY JON ROBINSON
COVER PHOTO: RAMMY FONG
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LEADING
EDGE
By Jon Robinson |
Drone growth in Canada
NAV Canada, Transport and COPA add important RPAS framework
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WINGS | July/August 2021
NAV Drone is the only app that can provide drone pilots and operators with permission to fly in NAV CANADA controlled airspace. Its interface allows users to visualize where basic and advanced drone pilots can fly and to update and manage flights. Aiming to bridge the gap between traditional and remote aviation, COPA on May 14 introduced new membership options to include Canada’s growing drone community, noting how the technology is transforming Canada’s economy through a range of missions like disaster management, search and rescue, infrastructure, photography and imaging and product delivery, in addition to recreational use. COPA’s membership program includes insurance options, regulatory support and plans for RPAS scholarships for both new pilots and professionals transitioning out of traditional aviation roles. Transport Canada is also building more RPAS framework, including its recent unveiling of proposed fees for both low-risk drone operations beyond visual line of sight and for operations within visual line of sight with heavier drones. In early May, Transport launched a new advisory committee called the Canadian Drone Advisory Committee (CanaDAC) to serve as a national forum for a range of RPAS industry stakeholders to provide input and ultimately inform priority policy and regulatory areas of focus. | W
From June to December 2020, NAV Canada received nearly 16,000 RPAS flight requests. expects this trend to continue as a growing number of companies and individuals find new uses for drones in Canada, outlining a need to ensure safe operation for all types of aircraft in the country’s airspace. This is a key function of the NAV Drone app (with a Web-based version also available), which is designed to help drone pilots and operators safely and legally fly their remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in Canada. NAV Drone is part of its national strategy for air traffic safety and technological innovation in Canadian airspace. NAV Drone allows users to submit drone flight authorization requests from a mobile device and, explains NAV Canada, provides information to help users fly drones legally in Canada’s controlled airspace. To this end,
TOP DATA BURSTS… in this issue 1. Air Canada since March 2020 has operated more than 9,000 all-cargo flights. (P. 9) 2. The Elite S holds an increased MTOW of 200 lbs. (P. 10) 3. Pratt & Whitney Canada in March of this year produced its 100th PT6 E-Series engine. (P. 10) 4. YOW in April alone detected 167 drone flights within a 5.6 kilometre radius. (P. 13) 5. Supersonic planes can fly from New York to London in to 3.5 hours. (P. 54)
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PHOTO: BEN BURGER, ADOBE STOCK
ererum alignam a dita pa natur molupta quidu Among a range of important drone programs to be introduced in Canada since the start of this year, two recent initiative are set to foster the adoption of Remotely Pilot Aerial Systems (RPAS) in the country. This includes the NAV Drone app introduced by NAV Canada at the start of June and, in May, the introduction of a robust new drone membership program by the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), which already holds by far the largest membership base in Canadian aviation at more than 15,000 people. Make no mistake, the drone or RPAS community in Canada has exploded over the past few years. Borrowing statistics gleaned by Wings contributor Phil Lightstone, there were 59,242 registered drones in Canada as of April 30, 2021, and 54,047 basic drone pilot certificate holders, as well as 5,406 advanced operations pilot certificate holders. As of January 2021, there were 1,782,479 drones registered in the U.S., reports Lightstone, who quotes an executive from Altohelix estimating that the annual sales of unregistered drones in Canada to be around $40 million. (Lightstone’s drone insight is not provided in this issue, but be sure to check out the facts and figures he found relating to the Federal government’s proposed Luxury Tax on aircraft costing more than $100,000 – perhaps yet another significant detail that will shift a younger generation away from light aircraft to RPAS.) In releasing the NAV Drone app, NAV Canada adds more intrigue to the growth of drones in the country, noting that from June to December 2020, it received nearly 16,000 RPAS flight authorization requests, a 54 per cent increase over the same period in 2019. The not-for-profit company says it
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THE LEAD COMMERCIAL BUSINESS AVIATION AIRPORTS
THE LEAD
Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary. In August, the schedule grows with the addition of service to Halifax, Kelowna and Abbotsford.
COMMERCIAL
FLAIR BEGINS SERVICE GUÉRARD NAMED CEO WITH FIRST NEW 737-8 OF TRANSAT A.T. Annick Guérard has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat A.T., effective May 27, 2021, succeeding Jean-Marc Eustache, who is retiring. Guérard has served as Transat’s Chief Operating Officer since November 2017. Eustache was one of the principal architects behind the creation of Transat in 1987, helping to establish the company’s vertically integrated business model toward becoming a world leader in the tourism industry. Eustache is also stepping down from his role on the Board of Directors, with Bachand succeeding him as Chairman of the Board. Guérard will also join the board. “Jean-Marc has been a pillar of the company since its beginnings more than 30 years ago, and we want to continue to make this jewel that he leaves us shine for several decades to come,” said Guérard. Guérard began her career in engineering consulting and was an advisor in organizational management before joining the Transat team in 2002. There, she has served in several senior management posts involving operations, customer service, marketing, e-commerce and product development. In December 2012, she became
Deliveries of the new 737-8 aircraft to Flair Airlines are to continue throughout 2021. 8
WINGS | July/August 2021
Annick Guérard became CEO of Transat A.T. on May 27.
President and General Manager of Transat Tours Canada. Guérard holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Polytechnique Montréal and an MBA from HEC Montréal.
AIR CANADA, WESTJET EXPAND CARGO Air Canada on June 14 announced an initial list of planned routes for the Boeing 767-300ER freighters scheduled to enter service this fall. Air Canada is in the process of fully converting several of its 767 aircraft into dedicated freighters in order to fully participate in global cargo commercial opportunities. When the first converted 767 freighters enters service in October, they will fly primarily out of Toronto Pearson International Airport, and will operate on routes linking Toronto to Miami, Quito, Lima, Mexico City and Guadalajara, the first time Air Canada Cargo will serve this destination. Additional destinations to be served in early 2022, include Halifax, St. John's, Madrid and Frankfurt as more freighters enter service. “These freighters will provide long-term stability and growth for our cargo customers, in particular the freight forwarding community who require reliable air freight capacity year-round,” said Jason Berry, Vice President, Cargo, Air Canada. “They will allow us to continue building on the success of our cargo-only flights and are an important part of our future growth.” As part of the 767 conversion, all seats are removed from the aircraft, a large door is cut into the fuselage to allow for WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS: (LEFT) FLAIR, TRANSAT A.T. INC.,
Flair Airlines on June 10 began service with its first of 13 new Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft, as the airline begins to expand its ultra-low-cost carrier service to 19 Canadian destinations. The inaugural flight of Flair’s first new 737-8 departed Edmonton at 5:30pm MT and arrive in Toronto at 11:20 pm ET. Piloting the inaugural flight were two veteran leaders at Flair: Captain Matt Kunz, Vice President, Business Transformation and Operations, and Captain Harold Knop, Regulatory Compliance and Certification Manager. Flair began taking delivery of the 13 new aircraft in May. The 737-8 aircraft are joining Flair’s existing fleet of 737-800 aircraft and deliveries will continue throughout 2021. By the middle of next year, Flair explains it will have a fleet of 16 aircraft and be well on the way to achieving its “F50” ambition of growing to 50 planes within five years. A day after its inaugural 737 Max flight, Flair, headquartered in Edmonton, began service from Ottawa International Airport, where it will eventually route to eight Canadian cities. Ottawa flights in June will provide non-stop service to Toronto,
loading of palletized cargo, and the floor is reinforced to carry additional weight. Air Canada Cargo plans to have two freighters in service by the end of 2021, with more to join the fleet in 2022. Since March 2020, Air Canada has operated more than 9,000 all-cargo flights using its wide-body passenger aircraft as well as certain temporarily modified Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft, which have additional available cargo space due to the removal of seats from the passenger cabin. In a related move, WestJet on June 23 announced it is launching a new cargo service, using 737-800 Boeing Converted Freights, as dedicated aircraft, to fulfill the larger-scale needs of Canadian businesses, freight forwarders, shippers and individual customers. The first of these dedicated 737-800BCFs are expected to be in service by the second quarter of 2022.
BUSINESS AVIATION
HONDA UNVEILS HONDAJET ELITE S
PHOTO: (BOTTOM) HONDA AIRCRAFT COMPANY, PILATUS AIRCRAFT (TOP)
Honda Aircraft Company on May 26 unveiled the HondaJet Elite S as an upgraded model to expand the operational capabilities of the HondaJet series family of aircraft. The Elite S holds an increased maximum takeoff weight of 200 lbs, allowing operators to fly up to 120 nm (138 mi) further at a higher payload or to carry an additional passenger. Honda explains the additional range benefit begins to phase in above 650 lbs
The Pilatus PC-12 NGX leverages the new PT6E-67XP turboprop engine for single-lever operation, higher speeds and faster climb, in addition to a range of maintenance benefits.
of payload; additional passenger/payload benefit ranges from 170 to 200 lbs, depending on range of mission. Building off of the platform’s customized Garmin G3000 avionics suite, new FAA DataComm and ACARS avionics features on the Elite S replace traditional voice commands with text-based messaging. FAA Data Comm is intended for textbased messaging for departure clearance and enroute services where available in the United States, while ACARS enables text based messaging with both air traffic services (terminal information, terminal weather, and departure clearance from supported airports) and operation centres (flight plan upload, messaging, weather, and automatic transmission of position reporting and Out/Off/On/In status.) New COM3 functionality available for the Elite S allows the operator to disable the Datalink Mode of the radio and use it as a 3rd VHF, to increase dispatch reliability. This function will come with the optional selection of FAA Data Comm and ACARS. The upgraded jet also holds a newly introduced Advanced Steering
Augmentation System (ASAS) to reduces pilot workload.
PRATT PRODUCES 100TH PT6 E-SERIES Pratt & Whitney Canada back in March 2021 reached a milestone with the production of its 100th PT6 E-Series engine. The PT6 E-Series only entered full-scale production in late 2020, but the company points to the engine’s successful, rapid ramp-up because of the teams at its PT6 Centre of Excellence in Lethbridge, Alberta. “Everything about the PT6 E-Series engine is special: Its capabilities, its technology, its performance monitoring systems and its ESP platinum pay-per-hour maintenance program, so it’s only appropriate that the engine’s production line is also a standout,” says Nick Kanellias, Vice-President, General Aviation. “The fact that we hit the 100-engine milestone in the month of March – National Engineering Month in Canada – was especially gratifying and a testament to the expertise and dedication
The HondaJet Elite S introduces exclusive paint schemes in Gunmetal, Luxe Gold, and Deep Sea Blue. WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
July/August 2021 | WINGS
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ON THE
of the entire PT6 E-Series team.” The new PT6 E-Series engine, building on the legacy of the five-decade-plus history of the PT6 engine family, currently powers the Pilatus PC-12 NGX aircraft. Pratt & Whitney describes the PT6 ESeries as the first turboprop engine serving the General Aviation market that features a dual-channel integrated propeller and engine control system. The engine also provides a power increase of up to 10 per cent due to the latest generation of turbine materials and design.
DASSAULT INTRODUCES FALCON 10X Dassault Aviation in May introduced its Falcon 10X business jet which is projected to hold a range of 7,500 nautical miles, which would allow for flying nonstop from New York to Shanghai, Los Angeles
The high-speed, ultra-long-range Falcon 10X, integrating fighter jet technology developed by Dassault, is expected to enter service at the end of 2025.
to Sydney, Hong Kong to New York or Paris to Santiago. The top-rated speed of the Falcon 10X will be Mach 0.925. The twin-engine Falcon 10X will be powered by the in-development Rolls Royce Pearl 10X, delivering more than 18,000 pounds of thrust. The aircraft’s new wings will be made of carbon-fibre composites with a high aspect ratio equipped with retractable
high-lift devices for strong maneuverability at low approach speeds. Dassault states the 10X will have the biggest and most comfortable cabin on the market and offer greater modularity than any other aircraft in its class. The 10X is large enough to accommodate four cabin zones of equal length, notes Dassault, but owners can configure their cabin to with a customized interior, including, for example, an expanded dining/conference area, a dedicated entertainment area with a largescreen monitor, a private stateroom with a queen-size bed or an enlarged master suite with a private stand-up shower. Dassault explains the 10X will have a cabin cross section larger than some regional jets. Its cabin will be 6-feet, 8-inches (2.03 m) tall and 9 feet, 1 inch wide (2.77 m). Dassault states these measurements will make it almost 8 inches (20 cm) wider and 2 inches (5 cm) taller than the widest and tallest purpose-built business jet flying today.
CONGRATULATIONS TIM KROEKER
VP of Maintenance / PRM For being recognized as Canada’s Top 40 under 40 in Canadian Aerospace.
10 WINGS | July/August 2021 WG_CalmAir_JulyAug21_CSA.indd 1
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PHOTO:DASSAULT AVIATION
FLY
GARMIN AUTOLAND WINS COLLIER TROPHY Garmin Autoland has been awarded the 2020 Robert J. Collier Trophy for what the company describes as the world’s first certified autonomous system designed to activate during an emergency to safely fly and land an aircraft without human intervention. The Collier Trophy is awarded annually by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) to recognize what it sees as the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America. The six other nominees vying for the 2020 trophy included the Bell V-280 Valor; SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon 2; Boeing Confident Travel Initiative; Reliable Robotics Remotely Operated Aircraft System (ROAS); SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon 2; U.S. Department of the Air Force Green Propellant Infusion Mission Team; and Yates Electrospace’s Silent Arrow. The five most recent prior recipients of the Collier
Trophy include the teams behind the USAF Boeing X-37B; Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System; Cirrus Aircraft Vision Jet; Blue Origin New Shepard; and NASA/JPL Dawn Mission.
AIRPORTS
OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL RECEIVES $12M IN FUNDING Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra on June 16 announced two significant Federal funding initiatives totalling just over $12 million to help Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and to support the development of transportation infrastructure at the airport. The Government of Canada is providing the Ottawa International Airport Authority
with $6.4 million from Transport Canada’s Airport Critical Infrastructure Program (ACIP) for the construction of a light rail transit (LRT) station at the airport. ACIP, launched in May 2021, will distribute $489.6 million in funding over five years to airports for eligible infrastructure projects related to safety, security or connectivity to mass transit systems. The total cost of the Ottawa Airport LRT station is $16.9 million. The Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority is the project manager and will provide the remaining funding for the project. In addition to the funding for the LRT station, the Government of Canada is also providing Ottawa International with $5,690,000 from Transport Canada’s Airport Relief Fund to help the airport maintain continued airport operations and essential air services for residents and workers in the National Capital Region and surrounding communities. | W
...is pleased to congratulate:
& David Schmidt
Senior Manager, Aerostructures Engineering
Liana Buessecker Quality Assurance Supervisor
…. Of Cascade Aerospace; both being recognized as Canada`s Top 40 under 40 in Canadian Aerospace. Cascade Aerospace is an Operating Unit of IMP Aerospace & Defence
Keeping Canada Mission Ready WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM WG_Cascade_JulyAug21_CSA.indd 1
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ALTERNATE
APPROACH By David Carr |
In a holding pattern
The need for a real reopening plan in Canadian commercial aviation
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sustainable with higher traffic volumes,” Gooch says. “Even if we are going to have travel measures in place for an extended period of time, we need to move to a phase where airports can handle volume much better.” Europe allows maskedtravellers to be spaced at one-metre apart. Canadian airports have had it tougher than those in the U.S. and countries such as Australia. The pain has not been spread out. “Some global markets never went down to the passenger levels of Canadian airports,” Gooch says. “We had the worst of all worlds.” Atlantic Canada was especially hardhit with the region cut off from the rest of the country last summer. Contrast that with Australia where a subsidy to cover unfilled seats on regional and domestic routes kept the country connected and eased the pain for smaller airports. “Airports were better supported in terms of traffic continuing, whereas Canadian airlines that weren’t being supported completely withdrew from markets,” adds Gooch. After false starts, the Federal government is promising a roadmap by July, and has released guidelines for vaccinated passengers. The industry has reason to be skeptical. If the past is anything to go on, it will be a jigsaw roll out piece by piece instead of presenting a complete picture. Canada has introduced some of the toughest restrictions in the world and stubbornly holds onto measures such as the leaky and ineffective hotel quarantine longer than it should. As air travel in the U.S. rebounds and global restrictions are eased, Canada’s own government remains the biggest obstacle to pressing the restart button. | W
Daniel-Robert Gooch says airports and airlines need a definitive government plan for reopening to understand they should operate. more sensible regime.” Canada has crossed a 75/20 first and second dose threshold. Airlines are impatient for the Canada/U.S. border to reopen. The Trudeau government’s tone-deaf response is untenable, especially after the prime minister undercut his own rules of entry on a trip home from a G7 meeting in the U.K. Trudeau is reported to want 75 per cent of the country to be fully vaccinated before the border reopens. Without laying down specific markers, that remains a moving target at the PM’s whim. In May, the CAC, whose members represent more than 100 Canadian airports, called on the government to commit to a comprehensive aviation recovery plan in a paper on air connectivity and competitiveness. Immediate concerns for airports are the two-metre physical distancing requirement inside terminals and the funneling of international travellers to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. “Some of that is not
David Carr is a former editor of both Wings and Helicopters magazines. WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: CANADIAN AIRPORTS COUNCIL
he flipping a switch analogy, like the light at the end of the tunnel is one of the most overworked cliches linked to Covid-19. Likely because it is so appropriate. Canada’s airport infrastructure is a critical piece of the air transport ecosystem. It can’t be turned on the moment the government arbitrarily decides it is time to do so. Yet, conversations with Ottawa have been largely non-existent or haphazard. Prior to summer, several provincial governments set out timelines and metrics for re-opening. This was a welcome change. There has been a tendency throughout Covid of governments keeping populations and entire business sectors in the dark until the time came to flick that switch (call the cliché’ cops) with little or no advance warning. That may have had to do with the fluidity of the pandemic and hesitancy to pre-announce openings without real time data. This outdated approach appears to be in play between Ottawa and air transport. At 31,000 feet, air transport is a carefully orchestrated balance of runway slots, schedules, time zones, navigation and aircraft deployment. Following a pandemic where 90 per cent of the market evaporated, hundreds of airplanes grounded and international traffic funneled through four airports, firing it all up again doesn’t just happen. “A big glaring issue is a plan to get the [air transport] business up and running,” Daniel-Robert Gooch, president of the Canadian Airports Council (CAC) told Wings in early May. The industry is still waiting. “We’re not expecting that government will lift all traffic restrictions right away. That day is still some time off. But airports, airlines and hotels need to get ready and to understand what the conditions for reopening will be. There is some lead time involved.” Stakeholders are turning up the heat, including Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association and former chief executive of International Airlines Group, which includes British Airways and Iberia. “We’ve been asking since the latter part of last year for some sort of roadmap,” Walsh told the Montréal Gazette. “Our official head office is in Montréal and we’re still not able to travel there. I would hope that the Canadian government will start looking at a
AIR
TRAFFIC By Krista Kealey
Eyes on the sky
Inside the pioneering drone detection program at Ottawa International
PHOTO: OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
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arly on the morning of March 15, 2021 a privately operated drone took an unauthorized 11-minute flight just north of the airfield at Ottawa International Airport (YOW). The same drone flew 24 flights during March, including flights close to the Civic Hospital Air Ambulance Helipad, the CHEO Helipad and Parliament Hill. “We know what type of drone it was, its unique ID number, its flight time, flight path and its maximum altitude,” says Michael Beaudette, YOW’s Vice President of Security, Emergency Management and Customer Transportation. “It should not have been flying in any of those locations and, in doing so, was in violation of Transport Canada regulations.” Beaudette is leading a pioneering drone detection pilot program at YOW in partnership with Indro Robotics, QinetiQ and NAV Canada. The results to date have been eye opening. “Drones are becoming almost ubiquitous, with exponential growth in sales to both hobbyists and commercial operators,” he says. “As an airport operator, we felt it was vitally important that we test systems to detect drones operating on flight paths, near the airport and in other restricted zones to help ensure the safety of air crews and passengers.” The issue of drones operating near airports gained international attention in late 2018, when they were spotted flying near Gatwick Airport in the UK. The airport ended up suspending more than 1,000 flights, impacting 140,000 travellers. That incident led to the formation of a Blue Ribbon Task Force, commissioned by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International and Airports Council International, North America. YOW’s President and CEO Mark Laroche was a member of the Task Force along with representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Los Angeles World Airports and NAV Canada. The report was released in October 2019. “The report provides direction to stakeholders on topics including unmanned aerial systems detection, mitigation/response measures, and guiding principles for response planning,” says Laroche. “At YOW, we had already started looking at WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
and size of the device, which helps determine what kind of threat it may pose. For example, a small, slow moving drone that’s far away is less of a threat than a large drone on an airport flight path.” The system provides a user interface that features real-time and consolidated historical reports including drone ID numbers, in most cases. “In March of this year, the Indro system detected 1,626 flights within the 15 kilometre zone, including 64 flights that occurred at night,” reports YOW’s Beaudette. “The totals were up significantly over January, as the weather got warmer and people decided to take their drones out for a fly.” The second technology being demonstrated as part of the program is a micro Doppler radar solution called Obsidian from British firm QinetiQ. Obsidian uses millimetric wave radar – 9-12 ghz – to detect the movement of the small spinning propellers on a drone flying anywhere within 2 kilometres of the airport. “The most serious threats to safety are not likely to be conventional drones that respond to electronic interrogationn, says QinetiQ’s Paul Romano. “Radar can detect and track drones that, for whatever reason, can’t be detected by RF or don’t want to be. Ultimately, it’s all about identifying all potential threats so that appropriate action can be taken to keep aircraft safe.” What actions should to take when a drone is detected flying where it shouldn’t is also part of the program. “We’ve been conducting tabletop exercises with our partners at NAV Canada, Transport Canada, airlines, emergency services and law enforcement,” says Beaudette, describing the scope of the project. “Developing appropriate response protocols and responsibilities ultimately has to be part of the solution.” | W
Ottawa International Airport began working on its leading drone detection program back in 2018. drone detection as the first step to helping ensure safety.” Transport Canada requires that anyone operating a drone that weighs over 250 grams must have a drone pilot certificate and only fly drones that are marked and registered. All drone operators must know and abide by Transport Canada regulations. “It’s forbidden to fly a drone within 5.6 kilometres of the centre of any airport in Canada,” notes Laroche. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t prevented it from happening. In March of 2021, our program detected and reported on 101 drone flights within that 5.6 kilometre radius. April’s numbers were even higher at 167. A number of these were flown during hours of darkness and some exceeding altitudes of 1,600 feet.” There are two types of technologies being demonstrated in YOW’s drone detection pilot program: Radio frequency (RF) detection and micro Doppler radar. RF drone detection is provided by Indro Robotics and Remote Sensing. Indro installed an RF receiver station on the roof of the passenger terminal building that can detect drones operating on 2.4 and 5.8 ghz within a 15-kilometre radius. “Our system interrogates each device to gain more information to pin down GPS point X, Y and Z – Z being important as we want to know how high the device is flying,” explains Philip Reece, CEO of Indro Robotics. “We can also determine the make
Krista Kealey is Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for the Ottawa International Airport Authority. July/August 2021 | WINGS 13
POSITION
REPORT
By Phil Lightstone |
Federal budget impact on aviation Proposed luxury tax would have near and long term consequences
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CEO of FlyGTA, reports, “The proposed luxury tax will cripple FlyGTA’s future expansion plans, while providing American operators with an unfair competitive advantage.” Reactions from leaders within Canadian aviation have been swift. Christine Gervais, CEO of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA), explains, “We at COPA are concerned that this new personal tax will impede the number of pilots being able to own an aircraft, as many are purchased through a cost-share model due to the rising costs of ownership. The more onerous the cost of ownership becomes, the less pilots will fly, thus affecting the essential business and traffic that our aerodromes and local communities rely on. This is a troubling trend which our vulnerable airport system has already been experiencing in the last decade, but especially this past year. “Without a pilot’s freedom to fly, our network of airports may experience an inordinate amount of harm due to a dramatic decrease in aircraft activity,” continues Gervais. “The equivalency placed on a $100,000 car to an aircraft of the same value as being a luxury is incorrect. While there are hundreds of conventional and hybrid green automotive brands selling in Canada below the threshold of $100,000, there are virtually no new aircraft or helicopters selling in Canada for less than $100,000. There is an abundance of new boats that can be purchased for less than $250,000. A basic single engine piston aircraft sells today for amounts
An unintended outcome of the luxury tax is Transport Canada losing regulatory oversight of aircraft operating in Canadian airspace. are still a number of outstanding questions that need to be addressed. Regional carriers like Porter, flying De Havilland Dash 8-400, with seating for 78, are outside of the new luxury tax, but regional carriers like FlyGTA, flying Embraer Phenom 300 aircraft, may be within the scope of the luxury tax. The new tax will be applied at the final point of purchase. In the case of an aircraft being imported into the Canada, the tax will be applied and collected at the border. The seller or lessor of the aircraft is responsible for the collection and remittance of the tax. The tax is payable upon purchase or importation regardless if the aircraft is purchased outright, financed or leased. Of note, GST/PST/HST is applied to the final sale price of the aircraft, inclusive of the new tax. Depending upon the province in which the aircraft is registered, this could add another 13 per cent tax (to the luxury tax), essentially tax on a tax, increasing the luxury tax to 12.89 per cent, with total tax at 25.89 per cent. As an example, a small regional airline or business, purchasing a factory new HondaJet will face an additional burden of roughly $703,000 or a Pilatus PC12-NGX would add $795,000 of additional tax burden, dependent upon the U.S. exchange rate at the time of importation. Chris Nowrouzi,
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n April 19, 2021, Canada’s Federal government released the budget. In 2019, the Liberal party‘s fiscal plans included a new luxury tax designed to tax Canada’s wealthiest individuals through automobile, boat and aircraft purchases. In 2020, the Federal government was distracted with fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and, as such, deferring the release of a budget. Changes to Bill C-30, however, an act designed to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in April 2021, includes a luxury tax. The Federal Budget and Bill C-30 implements a new luxury tax on general aviation (GA) and business aviation (BA) private aircraft purchases. The Federal budget, containing 724 pages, is delivered in a layered approach. The details of the proposed luxury tax can be found starting on page 658. In a nutshell, the luxury tax will: Attract tax on new private aircraft purchases; a 10 per cent tax on the purchase price in Canadian dollars; or 20 per cent of the purchase price after the first $100,000 (whichever tax amount is less); is collected and remitted to the government by the seller of the aircraft; and the luxury tax attracts tax. The tax bar for boat purchases is set at $250,000. The new aircraft tax is expected to come into effect on January 1, 2022. More details, definitions and timelines will be forth coming once the changes to the tax act are released. The Federal government estimates that the new luxury tax on cars, boats and aircraft tax will generate $604 million over five years starting in 2021/2022. Aircraft which come into scope of the new luxury tax are new private aircraft. Out of scope of the luxury tax are large aircraft typically used in commercial activities, such as those equipped for the carriage of passengers and having a certified maximum carrying capacity of more than 39 passengers. Smaller aircraft used in certain commercial activities (such as public transportation) and aircraft used by Canada’s police, military, air ambulance and rescue services are out of scope of the tax. The budget, however, does not define what a new aircraft is, whether it is new to the Canadian aircraft registry, new to the purchaser or a brand new aircraft with no previous owner. Hopefully the intention of the Federal government is the latter. There
in excess of $500,000 and are already taxed. The $100,000 threshold placed on new personal aircraft is a highly unrealistic one and adding a 10 per cent tax to items that are already taxed is inequitable. This creates the erroneous perception that a specific item is deemed a luxury, which is unfounded and impetuous.” Anthony Norejko, CEO of the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA), characterizes the new aircraft luxury tax as a tax which will generate a low amount of net new revenue (tax) to the Federal government, but with a high cost. Capital will flow to the easiest direction, suggesting that Canadian individuals and corporations will consider registering their aircraft in the U.S., Ireland or other countries which have more lenient tax structures. Norejko reports, “This action is unfair and unsupportable as Canadian taxes such as GST and applicable PST are already applied to the purchase of these aircraft and the personal use of an aircraft is already recognized as a non-deductible taxable benefit to the individual. “Moreover, the Income Tax Act does not specify or limit the type or size of aircraft: An airplane of any size can be used for business purposes,” continues Norejko. “There is no other way to interpret this proposed tax but to see it as a gesture without real benefit to Canadians. The reality is that the only people who will be affected by the tax are the communities and businesses that rely on air service, and they are anything but wealthy. This tax is just a distraction from the real work that has to be done to get our economy moving.” Both Norejko and Gervais met with the Federal Government’s Finance Committee delivering a presentation and answering the committee members’ questions. You can find the video presentation on YouTube by searching: Finance Committee Appearance CBAA. Individuals may choose to utilize U.S. trust companies to register their aircraft on the U.S. registry (via N-Number). Although the aircraft is technically not imported into Canada, it may be subject to HST/GST/PST upon entering Canada. As Canadian corporations and individuals register their aircraft in the U.S., an unintended outcome will be Transport Canada losing regulatory oversight of aircraft operating in Canadian airspace. The Canadian aviation ecosystem will also lose high margin professional services, as Canadian AMEs are limited in terms of the FAA’s regulatory requirements. It is challenging to calculate the financial impact of the luxury tax without clarification on its true scope. A search of Transport Canada’s aircraft registry indicates that 228 and 209 factory-new aircraft were added to the registry in 2019
and 2020, respectively. Transport Canada does not track the purchase price of an aircraft, which also makes it difficult to determine the true marginal tax contribution of new private aircraft. Of the 228 aircraft, 29 were Bombardier BD-700 series jets, which may be placed on the registry for Bombardier internal purposes. Some people argue that this tax is a slippery slope toward layering an additional tax onto all aircraft transactions, including purchases and rentals. Currently, taxes on aviation fuel sales are directed into the general revenue coffers and not allocated to aviation sector infrastructure upgrades or Federal investments into Canadian aviation research and development activities. COPA recently completed an economic impact study which found the GA community contributes $9.3 billion annually to the Canadian economy, of which $5.4 billion is directly attributable to wages and economic spinoffs by those employed in the GA sector. The CBAA calculates that aircraft luxury tax contributions would be approximately $15 illion per year. The taxation of personal use of corporate-owned aircraft, however, would be captured as a non-deductible taxable benefit on the individuals personal tax returns. A further impact of the luxury tax, when applied to commercial operators and
flight departments, would be to increase the cost of goods and services to their customers, essentially passing on the luxury tax to lower- and middle-class Canadians. Both COPA and the CBAA have formulated responses to Ottawa’s aircraft taxation plan. COPA has posted on its website a letter template which can be edited. COPA’s leadership urges Canadian pilots, regardless if they see a new aircraft purchase in their future, to write their Member of Parliament, the Finance Minister and the Minister of Transportation. The freedom to fly must be protected against unfair taxation. The average Canadian pilot is not part of the one percenters, but instead enthusiasts who face rising costs of flying year over year and who are challenged to maintain their flight hours contributing to flight safety. Our freedom to fly has been under attack for many years, as service levels have changed, while costs for owning and operating an aircraft increases year over year. The new luxury tax is another attempt to finically restrict the average pilot and will damag corporate flight departments and small air carriers. | W Checkout Phil Lighstone’s PlaneTalk podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify and at PlaneTalk.ca.
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Christopher Albig of StandardAero in Winnipeg and Farah Alibay of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
THE NEW GENERATION OF INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP IN AVIATION AND AEROSPACE
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BY JON ROBINSON he annual Top 40 Under 40 program focuses on young leaders who are driving Canadian aviation and aerospace. These 40 influencers are chosen based on a demonstration of leadership, innovation, achievement and community involvement. This year our team expanded the program to celebrate the passion and perseverance of aviation and aerospace leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CHRISTOPHER ALBIG
IT Integration Project Manager, StandardAero, Winnipeg, MB Albig, age 39, joined StandardAero’s Winnipeg operation, at age 17, when both his father and brother worked at the facility. He started as a parts cleaner and quickly became a PT6 Engine Technician, for nine years, before becoming an Inspector and then Production Manager for the CF34/ 16 WINGS | July/August 2021
CFM56 business unit. During that time, he earned a Certificate in Management from the University of Manitoba. Albig in 2017 joined StandardAero’s IT team as Business Systems Lead, returning to school for his Business Analyst designation from Red River College. He enhanced existing applications and built new ones to realize higher utilization rates. He also serves as an IT liaison with other business units across the globe. In May 2021, Albig was appointed IT Integration Project Manager to oversee the technology integration of StandardAero’s acquisition of Signature Aviation’s Engine Repair and Overhaul (ERO) business. He is to ensure the ERO transition to StandardAero systems and network occurs with no disruptions.
FARAH ALIBAY
Systems Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Alibay, age 33, has worked on three primary Mars missions, including as Integration Lead for NASA’s Ingenuity technology demonstrator. Ingenuity arrived on Mars in February 2021 and was deployed to the surface – under Alibay’s supervision
– by the Perseverance rover in early April. Ingenuity on April 19 achieved humankind’s first powered flight on another planet, hovering for 30 seconds at an altitude of three metres as predetermined by its controllers, watching 285 million kilometres away. The historic flight lasted 39 seconds with Ingenuity’s counterrotating blades spinning at 2,500 revolutions per minute to bite into the thin Martian atmosphere. Alibay coordinates the Perseverance and Ingenuity teams to ensure both missions run smoothly. This includes planning where the two vehicles are with respect to each other, timing missions, and planning all imaging activities, amid a range of critical measures and movements. Born in Montreal, Alibay, moved to Manchester, UK, as a teenager and would study aerospace engineering at the University of Cambridge. She then pursued a PhD at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in 2012 began what would become three NASA internships, including two at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). After completing her PhD, Alibay became a full-time employee at JPL in early 2014. She has also worked on NASA’s Mars Cube One mission and Insight,
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PHOTOS: STANDARDAERO, NASA JPL
CANADA'S TOP 40 UN
Santiago Ardila of Pacific Coastal Airlines in Vancouver and Emily Bridges of StandardAero in Summerside.
NDER 40 in addition to a number of proposals and concept studies for future exploration.
PHOTO: : STANDARDAERO
SANTIAGO ARDILA
Captain, Beechcraft 1900, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Vancouver, BC Ardila, age 25, discovered his passion for aviation at age six during a flight from Colombia to Canada, as his family immigrated to Vancouver. Just days after his 12th birthday, he joined 746 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and in 2013 earned his Private Pilot Licence (PPL). He became a squadron leader helping the next generation Air Cadets, and continued to serve as a C182 tow pilot for the cadets glider program. Working on his Degree at the University of the Fraser Valley, Ardila in 2016 started an internship as a Marketing Research Analyst with Vancouver’s TrainingPort. net. He focused on global forecasting about aircraft pricing, human resources, and economic impact, while also working on social media campaigns. Ardila completed his Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and Multi-IFR with Abbotsford’s Coastal Pacific Aviation and then landed his first professional pilot work with Pacific WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
Coastal Airlines, a regional airline headquartered at Vancouver International. Ardila maintains his interest in business, co-founding a company called Hyper Growth Agency that develops a market presence for high-value items through social media platforms like Facebook. He became a Captain with Pacific Coastal a little over one year ago, flying the Beechcraft 1900. “One of the things I love about Pacific Coastal is the ability to fly such a unique and great airplane out here on the coast,” Ardila says. “The destinations are beautiful – going up to Haida Gwaii, Bella Bella. We go into Bella Coola. There is no other operator that provides a commercial service to a community like that.”
EMILY BRIDGES
Manager, Engine Programs, StandardAero, Summerside, PE Bridges, age 33, began her career in the rail sector overseeing a relationship with Bombardier Transportation, eventually becoming Planning and Production Manager to coordinate multiple facilities. She created and monitored sales projections, production schedules and capacity plans. She worked with a team of four to develop
a JIT Kanban system. Bridges in 2016 joined StandardAero’s Summerside facility, initially as a Customer Service Analyst, preparing account reconciliations and developing finance and customer dashboards for pay-by-the-hour programs. She worked with a third-party to build a VMAX customer community, automating administrative tasks within Salesforce. In 2018, Bridges became Senior Program Analyst focusing on engine event forecasts, as well as developing all financial reporting for the company’s programs. She also designed and updated customer reports and dashboards. Bridges in 2019 was promoted to Program Manager to oversee StandardAero’s VMAX portfolio and other pay-by-thehour programs. She is responsible for customer communications and ensuring the company meets customer commitments. She also develops event forecasts and other fleet analytics for customers, organizes field and shop events pertaining to program customers, and identifies cost saving opportunities. In May 2021, she was promoted to her current role to lead a management team of six, including three people in PEI, one in Winnipeg, and three in Europe, with each person responsible July/August 2021 | WINGS 17
for four or five major customers, but ultimately working together to meet all needs.
LIANA BUESSECKER
Quality Assurance Supervisor, Cascade Aerospace, Abbotsford, BC Buessecker, age 24, developed a passion for aviation through her parents who both worked for Canadian Airlines and subsequently Air Canada. Buessecker became an avid traveller and at age 17 volunteered at an orphanage in Cusco, Peru, where she would often spend free time sitting on a slope above the airport, observing how aircraft approach and depart at such high altitude. She studies aviation mishaps and disasters, motivated to improve aviation safety. After graduating from SAIT’s AME program, and working for a local charter operator, Buessecker began an apprenticeship with Jazz Aviation in Vancouver and became a licensed AME. When she was laid off, because of the COVID-19 downturn, she returned home and joined the Calgary Flying Club to earn her PPL. “My instructor [Erin Sinclair] is an incredible pilot and she was very devoted to helping me learn,” Buessecker explains, who also received her float and night ratings, and continues toward a CPL. At the end of 2020, Buessecker joined Cascade Aerospace in Abbotsford as a Quality Assurance Supervisor/Auditor.
SHELLY DE CARIA
Senior Director, Community Relations and Sales, Canadian North, Kanata, ON De Caria, age 36, joined Canadian North in 2013 and in May 2020 moved into her current position, leading the airline’s initiatives to support the well-being of the communities it serves, primarily focused on Indigenous peoples. Her lived experience as an Inuit beneficiary from Kuujjuaq, Québec, provides De Caria with insight into how the airline can develop its platform and programs. This became more critical with the recent completion of the integration of Canadian North and First Air following their 2019 merger. De Caria early in her career held key positions at several national Inuit organizations, including Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. At Canadian North, she developed a unique partnership with Canada Goose to distribute fabrics to northern craftspeople, which they can then use to make warm clothing for their families while preserving valuable traditional skills. In addition to serving as 18 WINGS | July/August 2021
Shelly De Caria of Canadian North in Kanata.
a role model for Inuit women, De Caria is a member of the airline’s Women in Leadership group for inclusion in aviation. She also works closely with northern organizations supporting mental health, youth sports and suicide prevention.
SHARON CHEUNG
Director, National Programming, Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, Ottawa, ON Cheung, age 28, leads the national programing of Canada’s largest aviation association with more than 15,000 members. This includes helping to build a new safety program, connecting almost 1,500 pilots each month, and recent launch of COPA’s drone membership program, including insurance and regulation support. Cheung joined COPA at the start of 2021 from NAV Canada, where she managed national stakeholder relations initiatives relating to RSC NOTAM, RPAS, spacebased ADS-B, CFPS, level of service and airspace changes and aircraft noise. During her time NAV Canada, she received a President’s Award for supporting the deployment of Established on RNP-AR at Calgary Airport, a transformative separation standard and global first. Cheung is currently developing a new
inclusive mentorship program for pilots of all backgrounds, as well as a leadership summit to re-engage the large COPA Flight – local club – network.
ALLISON COUCH
Corporate Pilot and Aviation Safety Manager, Coywolf Aviation, Toronto, ON Couch, age 30, two years ago left her job as a flight attendant with Emirates to follow her dream of becoming a pilot. In April, she completed the last day of MultiCrew Cooperation training, effectively wrapping up her Integrated Airline Transport Pilot Licence program with Brampton Flight Centre. “It is a strange time to have completed my training in the midst of a global pandemic, but I’m staying optimistic about the future,” Couch says. “I’ve been so fortunate to get a taste of real world flying on the Pilatus PC-12 NG.” In addition to her five years with Emirates, based out of Dubai, Couch gained experience with Skyservice, Ornge and a Pratt & Whitney internship. Couch earned a Master’s degree in Aviation Management from Griffith University. Couch is involved in a range of programs promoting inclusivity in aviation, including The NinetyNines, Northern Lights Aero Foundation, WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
In his 13 years with the company, we have seen Thomas go from an apprentice to an M1 M2 AME with various endorsements. Thomas continues to expand his horizons as a private pilot and in off hours operating his own maintenance business at the North Port field CNP 4. WAY TO GO TOM! EntAir – Professionally maintaining client and company-owned aircraft for over 25 years.
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THE ENTERPRISE AVIATION GROUP IS PROUD TO CONGRATULATE THOMAS KING, AME FOR HIS SELECTION TO THE TOP 40 UNDER 40 LIST!
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Women in Aviation International, Elevate Aviation and the Urban Pilots Network.
MEGAN EVERS
Manager, Charter Operations, Canadian North, Calgary, AB Evers, age 32, was born into the world of aviation with her parents owning a skydiving drop zone at Pitt Meadows Airport. She attended the Business Aviation program at the University of the Fraser Valley, working toward a CPL. With school wrapping up, Evers took her first aviation job flying skydivers in a Cessna 206 and Cessna 182 in Beiseker, AB. Evers joined Canadian North in 2015 as a Charter Specialist followed by roles as Charters Account Manager (2016); Manager, Security & Emergency Response (2017); and Manager, Imperial Oil & Charter Sales (2020). In her current role, Evers leads Canadian North’s complex charter operations, which on a typical day carries 2,000 to 3,000 passengers. Evers played a key role in the Canadian North/First Air merger, supporting the harmonization of the airline’s charter procedures. “There's just a great appreciation for all of the people who are in the background, making things happen,” Evers says, noting work is underway to bring on two 737-700s. “We’re a family and we have the right people in the right places to make these decisions in order to help our company move forward and grow.”
KYLE FERGUSON
Lead Captain, Scheduled Service, and Officer, Air Navigation, Helijet International, Vancouver, BC Ferguson, age 34, earned his commercial helicopter license at age 21 and began working as a base pilot and helipad inspector in Ontario. In 2011, he joined Canadian Helicopters in Afghanistan for a year as a Loadmaster and was then hired by Helicopter Transport Services to fly the CTV News helicopter in Toronto. He then joined Niagara Helicopters, where he would become Chief Pilot at age 25. Ferguson in 2014 completed his IFR rating and moved to Vancouver to work with Helijet, the world’s largest helicopter airline. In his current position, he supervises flight crews as a Standards Captain and also serves as Line Indoctrination Captain, onboarding new pilots and preparing them for flying in low-level IFR airspace. He monitors the daily needs of flight crews and is responsible for maintaining airline 20 WINGS | July/August 2021
Megan Evers of Canadian North in Calgary.
documents, including standard operating procedures, which he has rewritten extensively. As a company Aviation Safety Officer, he works closely with the Safety Team within Helijet’s SMS system. Ferguson also recently added responsibility as Officer, Air Navigation, creating and maintaining the company’s IFR route structure, Standard Instrument Departure Procedures, and GPS Based Approaches. He regularly liaises with NAV Canada to ensure a safe and efficient low-level operation within the Vancouver Flight Information Region.
CHRIS FOLEY
Director of Maintenance, AirSprint, Calgary, AB Foley, age 37, graduated from SAIT in 2004 and began his AME apprenticeship with AirSprint, founded four years earlier. AirSprint today holds Canada’s largest fractional fleet of private aircraft. Foley was licenced with M1 and M2 ratings in 2007 and added to his skill set in roles like AME Crew Chief, Production Coordinator and Western Maintenance Manager. Since 2015 has led the vision and strategic direction of AirSprint’s maintenance department, implementing a range of processes and adopting new technologies. He played a key role in adding the Cessna Citation CJ3+ and Embraer Legacy 450 to AirSprint’s fleet. The Legacy 450 was
a new aircraft type and category for AirSprint – and also the first of its kind in Canada. “When you’re the first of a type, you’re the leader in developing all of the information and learning,” Foley says. Earlier this year, Foley oversaw AirSprint’s first conversion of a Legacy 450 to a Praetor 500. The company’s Citation fleet is 11 jets with the June 2021 delivery of its fifth CJ3+, joining eight Embraer Praetor 500s/Legacy 450s.
NICK FRASER
Manager, Customer Service, StandardAero, Summerside, PE Fraser, age 37, joined StandardAero’s Summerside facility in 2004 as a Financial Analyst. In 2008, he became Parts Distribution Manager for the facility, responsible for over-the-counter part sales and the service centre network, working closely with colleagues from Pratt & Whitney Canada. In 2011, Fraser was appointed Customer Service Manager to serve as the primary point of contact for customers during the engine maintenance process. Working with both complex commercial accounts and military customers required the creation of financial forecasts, cost estimates WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
KRIS HANUS
Chris Foley of AirSprint in Calgary.
and summary condition reports. In 2018, he was at the centre of the company’s sales process as a Customer Product Manager, serving as the initial point of contact between the company’s Regional Sales Managers and the Summerside business unit itself. In 2020, Fraser was promoted to Manager, Customer Service, responsible for the supervision of the eight members of the CSM team plus the management of Summerside’s customer relationships as they relate to the entire engine MRO cycle. “I think that the industry is coming back fast and StandardAero is going to be leading this charge on the MRO side,” says Fraser, who earned his Six Sigma certification to help foster a strong interdepartmental environment. “There is a great team atmosphere here and our people have tons of experience.”
DANIEL GUSTIN
First Officer, Air Transat, and Co-founder, Canadian Flight Trainers, Oakville, ON Gustin, age 30, was eager to get back flying for Air Transat as vaccinations increased and the company redrew its plans for a busy 2022 winter schedule. Gustin formalized his passion for teaching and aviation through the WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
co-founding of a ground school provider called Canadian Flight Trainers (CFT), which focuses on online, accessible, and practical training for pilots preparing for their PPL, CPL or Instructor Rating, among others. Gustin, who recently completed his first year of graduate studies in a Master in Education program with the University of Windsor, is intent on changing the way ground school is taught, by encouraging students to learn instead of just studying to pass exams. He feels there are serious deficiencies in most ground training that can leave students overwhelmed and underprepared for real-world flying. CFT aims to fill a gap between the theories of aviation and the safe practical application of skills. “We use a variety of learning activities and assessments and we don’t just focus on multiple choice questions,” Gustin explains. “We focus on many domains of learning and different levels of complexity that students need to perform at.” Gustin has been flying for more than 15 years since earning his PPL. He is one of a just a few dozen Class 1 Aerobatic Instructors in Canada, while also holding a Class 1 Instructor Rating on his ATPL, and serving as an A330 Simulator Instructor with Air Transat. His commercial flight experience includes roles for an international geophysical survey company and working as a Captain at Sky Regional, before joining Air Transat as a First Officer in 2017.
Founder, President and CEO, Vmo Solutions, Halifax, NS Hanus, age 38, founded Vmo Solutions just over 11 years ago to develop flight operations software tailored to regional carriers. He earned his PPL as a teenager and developed a successful and varied commercial pilot career, working with operators like V. Kelner Pilatus, Air Labrador, Trans Capital Air, Provincial Airlines (PAL), and eventually became a 737 First Officer with Sunwing out of Toronto. Hanus from an early age also held a keen interest in computing and often found himself working closely with flight operations and IT at the airlines where he worked, helping to overcome technical challenges or sourcing software. He recognized a gap in the market for modern operational control software that is suited to leaner organizations with varied operation types. Hanus put flying on hold and built the first version of Vmo’s Web-based operational control software, called OC. “The data from flight ops can be undervalued at times. From a performance standpoint, airlines can learn a lot from what they are doing on the flight-ops side and potentially save a lot of money through making their systems and processes more efficient,” Hanus says. “It’s not just data, it’s also integration; and I think that was a major problem especially for midsize airlines.” OC was first implemented by PAL Airlines and later rolled out to other carriers across Canada. It helps improve the efficiency of flight operations and provides high-level reporting for executives and managers. Vmo is nearing the completion a major version upgrade to OC, implementing new tools like payload predictions and past performances, as well as new interfaces to make OC more reliable, faster and easier to use.
MISSY HINDS
Chief Financial Officer and Co-owner, Silver King Helicopters, Smithers, BC Hinds, age 37, started Silver King Helicopters with her life and business partner just over 10 years ago with one leased helicopter, as well as a “fantastic engineer” and friend who happened to live just down the street. Today, Silver King owns and operates nine A-Stars and positions itself as specializing in July/August 2021 | WINGS 21
Thomas King of Enterprise Airlines and Northport Aviation.
precision vertical reference tasks flying in BC’s challenging North Coastal mountains. Silver King now brings diverse and high-time experience to the sector, with a robust Safety Management System that includes a safety and incident reporting program. “We have nothing to hide in our business model. We welcome auditors. We welcome Transport into our business – quality and adhering to the standards is very important to us,” Hinds says. Prior to starting Silver King, Hinds had built a successful career as a contractor in real estate appraising, which helped in formulating a solid business plan in the capital-intensive rotary world. “We aim to be the best and we’ve been very fortunate in bringing on people who are some of the best in the industry. We do not take on pilots with less than 3,000 hours and they all have to excel in drill moving and mountain flying before they even set foot in our helicopters.”
STACEY JACKSON
First Officer, Boeing 737, WestJet, Calgary, AB Jackson, age 37, engaged aviation at an earlier age through Air Cadets, where she earned both her Glider qualification and PPL. In the early part of her career, she piloted scheduled and charter flights to many different Caribbean islands, specializing in perilous 22 WINGS | July/August 2021
Tim Kroeker of Calm Air in Winnipeg.
approaches to St. Barths and Saba. Jackson also flew for the United Nations, providing critical resupply and refugee evacuation flights throughout Afghanistan and South Sudan during its military coup in 2013/2014. She also piloted medevac flights in northern Ontario. Serving today as B737 First Officer with WestJet, Jackson spent the past two years revitalizing the Upper Canada Chapter of Women in Aviation, International. Jackson is a recent graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (BSc 2016 and MSc 2020) and uses her education to develop human factors training programs and contributing to improvements in human performance and aircraft accident investigation, analysis and prevention across Canada, as well as on a global scale through the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Association (IFALPA), where she also contributes to the President’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, as well as the IFALPA Female Pilots Working Group and Accident Analysis and Prevention group. Jackson is set to begin her doctoral research in this area in August 2021.
THOMAS KING
AME, Enterprise Airlines, and Cofounder, Northport Aviation, Port Perry, ON King, age 34, began his aviation career with Enterprise Aviation at Oshawa Executive Airport, joining the maintenance department to help with its build of a Cessna 150 now used by the Durham Flight Centre. King privately earned his
AME Licence, in addition to his PPL, as he continued to gain hands-on technical experience with Enterprise. He then started working full time as a mechanic travelling the globe for Enterprise on its geographic survey Baslers (Turbine DC-3). After returning to the Enterprise hangar, King became type rated on the Falcon 20 for Air Nunavut and started overhauling small piston engines for Enterprise’s flight school. In 2019, King co-founded Northport to develop a federally regulated airport just north of Port Perry on Lake Scugog. The team at Northport aims to extend the airport’s 2,000-foot grass runway to around 2,700 feet, drawing in more private planes and seasonal float changes, annuals, and a range of needs within the general aviation community. King is also working on his own projects like the build of a Cessna 170B (for the second time after a windstorm) and an experimental Super Cub. King continues to enjoy the uniqueness of Enterprise and spending his time between the two operations. “With Enterprise, you feel like you are a part of something,” King says. “They count on you and it shows at the end of the day, getting that plane out there.”
TIMOTHY KROEKER
Vice President of Maintenance, Calm Air International, Winnipeg, MB Kroeker, age 33, was recently promoted to lead Calm Air’s maintenance operation. He has been working with Calm Air for 11 years, helping the commercial airline serve as a critical passenger and cargo link to Canada’s Northern regions. Calm WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
Air has been an established scheduled air carrier since 1962 and has operated in Nunavut since 1974. In 1975, Calm Air began operations in Churchill, Manitoba’s Arctic Seaport, and in 2009 was purchased by what is now Exchange Income Corporation. Kroeker started as an AME at Calm Air and his initial management role was Reliability and Engine Manager, where he created a massive reliability program for the airline, essentially from scratch. Kroeker was then promoted to Director of Maintenance Programs where he oversaw the implementation of Maintenance Operational Control to Calm Air. “That was a big, big change for our operation... because you have somebody dedicated to the operation all of the time.” In early 2021, Kroeker took on his current role overseeing a team of around 100 people in the department. “We’re investing a lot of time into my team and helping them grow on their journey,” he says.
CAROLINE KOLASA-SCOTT
Captain, Airbus A320, Air Canada, Vancouver, BC Kolasa-Scott, age 39, holds more than 20 years of experience in aviation, working
in a variety of roles before starting her dream job in 2019 as a Captain at Air Canada, flying the Airbus A320. She completed her flight training in both BC and Ontario, paying for training by working as a Finance Clerk at Parks Canada in Revelstoke, as a flight school dispatcher, and as a Manager and Ramp Supervisor at Pearson International Airport. After obtaining her qualifications, Kolasa-Scott worked as a Dispatcher with Central Mountain Air and as a De-Icing Technician and Pad Controller for Aéro Mag 2000. Her piloting experience would soon include flying the Piper Navajo Chieftain, King Air B100, Cessna 208 Caravan, Beech 1900C and D, and the Dash 8. Flying cargo, charters, medevac, corporately and with regional airlines developed Kolasa-Scott’s vast pilot experience which she actively shares as a mentor. In addition to providing discovery flights for Cadets, she continues to help lead the West Canada section of The Ninety-Nines as Scholarship Chair and has also served with the BC Coast Chapter. KolasaScott has provided support through the BC Aviation Council, Canadian Women in Aviation and Elevate Aviation. She earned a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle University in 2019.
CANADIAN AVIATION CONFERENCE & TRADESHOW 2021 A major Industry Networking Event not to be missed! ATAC’s Canadian Aviation Conference and Tradeshow has been the national gathering for operators, industry suppliers and government stakeholders involved in commercial aviation and flight training in Canada for over 85 years!
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Caroline Kolasa-Scott of Air Canada in Vancouver.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 TO THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18 FAIRMONT QUEEN ELIZABETH HOTEL, MONTREAL, QC
For more information contact: Debbie Simpson, Tradeshow Manager 613-233-7727 ext. 312 tradeshow@atac.ca www.atac.ca
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KARL LOKEN
Stores Duty Manager, YYZ Hub, Air Canada, Mississauga, ON Loken, age 32, began his aviation career in 2007 with Air Georgian as an Inventory Controller, while he completed Seneca College’s part-tme Commercial Aviation program. Loken was concurrently training under Centennial
College’s Parts Technician Apprenticeship Program. In 2013, he joined Sky Regional Airlines as Lead Materials Coordinator, helping to build the young airline’s (founded in 2010) Stores & Material Control department at YYZ for the Embraer 175 transition from Air Canada. Loken in late-2014, at age 25, was presented with an opportunity to join Emirates in Dubai to help develop the Materials Management Department for its new $120 million Emirates Engine Maintenance Centre (EEMC), which supports the powerplant
BIGGER. BETTER. BOLDER
repair and overhaul for GE90 and GP7200 engines. He also leveraged the support of Emirates to complete a Master’s degree in Aviation Management. After working for close to four years for Emirates EEMC, Loken in 2018 returned home as Stores Duty Manager for Air Canada’s YYZ Hub. At Pearson International, he managed the project development and transition of the logistics and supply footprint within the largest freestanding, uninterrupted commercial hangar span in Canada (Bay 5), built at a cost of $90 million. In 2020, his role at Air Canada expanded to include serving as Acting Regional Manager, SCM Operations at YYZ, as he oversaw a team of around 120 staff (pre-pandemic). Loken also returned home to earn his Commercial Pilot’s licence, as he is now working toward his Multi-IFR rating. He has been a member of the Urban Pilots Network (UPN) since 2007, serving on its board since 2019.
FRANCOIS-LUC JUTRAS
OUR MISSION IS TO BE THE BEST TO WORK FOR The world’s largest independent MRO provider With over a century of proven excellence, StandardAero has built a reputation as the industry leader and best place to work. Serving the most discerning clients and maintaining premier aircraft, the global StandardAero family takes pride in offering extensive MRO services and customized solutions through trusted service partnerships with our customers.
TOP
UNDER
Christopher Albig, Emily Bridges, Nick Fraser, Cameron Mazurek and Jimmy Oliver embody the customer focus which is a hallmark of StandardAero’s 6,000 employees, and we are proud to see them included in Wings’ Top 40 Under 40. Congratulations to Cameron, Christopher, Emily, Jimmy, Nick and all of this year’s winners!
www.standardaero.com
General Manager, LUX Ground Services, Saint-Hubert, QC Jutras, age 32, came to aviation from the banking industry, and, two years ago, had the opportunity to help develop the terminal operations of LUX Ground Services, a new Fixed Base Operator under parent company Chrono Aviation, itself a relatively young charter airline founded in 2012. Chrono mainly operates 737-200 and Pilatus PC-12 flights from the LUX terminal in Montreal as the FBO also serves operators like Jetz, Miami Air and more. LUX began its operations out of Montreal St. Hubert, YHU, with full ground handling, passenger and customs services, and partnerships with both Avfuel and WorldFuel. The FBO has now expanded to Mont-Joli, PortMeunier and recently Quebec City Airport. The St. Hubert location also just completed a 45,000-square-foot hangar. Jutras was part of the team responsible for opening and beginning all operations out of the private airport terminal, from hiring and creating procedures to departures and customer service. LUX has tripled its number of employees, even in this difficult environment, and is now looking to expand in three different provinces. The company is also working with YHU authorities to become a designated airport and to attract commercial airlines in the short term.
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Francois-Luc Jutras of LUX Ground Services in St. Hubert.
JARROD MANSON FDM Program Manager, SKYTRAC
Systems, Kelowna, BC Manson, age 32, graduated from Farnborough College of Technology, and joined SKYTRAC in 2014 progressing through roles like Software Test Lead and Client Services Coordinator. He is now the youngest member of SKYTRAC’s management team and recently led the development of its key Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) technology. In this role, he managed a global team of flight data analysts, software developers and embedded hardware specialists working within a range of aviation sectors like aerial firefighting, offshore oil and gas, EMS and SAR. Manson also enables aerial firefighting fleet operators with SKYTRAC’s Operational Loads Monitoring System. He played a key role in SKYTRAC’s acquisition of Latitude Technologies, which required amalgamating two disparate FDM departments. “We enabled various synergies, obtained profitability and implemented a series of processes to ensure our projects get completed in a timely manner, at a rate significantly higher than held by either of the FDM departments on their own. This year alone, we have onboarded 31 aircraft and lead SKYTRAC in on-time project implementations.” In May 2021, Manson was tasked with leading SKYTRAC’s GADSS program, an WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
Joshua Martin of Keewatin Air and WestJet Encore.
initiative outlined by ICAO to establish an aircraft-tracking time interval of 15 minutes for all planes with a take-off mass of 27 000 kgs or 45,000 kbs when flying over oceanic areas. The complex technology, being ushered in following the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 tragedy in 2014, in addition to earlier losing an Air France flight heading to Brazil, is built around an autonomous distress tracking (ADT) concept.
JOSHUA MARTIN
Captain, Keewatin Air, and First Officer, WestJet Encore, Winnipeg, MB Martin, age 30, discovered aviation through his father, who, as an RCMP officer serving in Yellowknife, regularly accessed remote areas via airplanes. Martin at age five remembers joining him for a flight on a Twin Otter and being hooked. “I became very attached to the Canadian Arctic and it is one of the reasons why I worked at Keewatin Air for as long as I have,” Martin says. He has now dedicated more than half of a decade to flying in the remote communities of the Arctic, helping to provide essential medevac services and, throughout the pandemic, vaccines. After flight school, Martin dispatched at Keewatin for about a year before joining the flight line and becoming a First Officer with 200 hours – “diving right into the deep end” – and within a year and a half was upgraded to Captain. Martin recently joined WestJet Encore to take a new direction in his career, but after being furloughed because of the
pandemic, came back to Keewatin to keep flying in a capacity he loves.
CAMERON MAZUREK
Director of Engineering, Facilities and Maintenance, StandardAero, Winnipeg, MB Mazurek, age 33, recently took on a role expansion to include enterprise-wide responsibilities and process-related engineering disciplines. He now holds technical authority for more than $40 million in capital infrastructure projects. This role expansion also allows Mazurek to leverage StandardAero’s enterprise-wide technical networks, which connects more than 100 multi-disciplinary staff – in areas like thermal, NDT, metrology and plating, among others – across more than 40 sites. Mazurek continues to realize results in substantial cost- and risk-reduction for capital infrastructure projects, focused on capturing value at operating locations and during expansion, acquisition integration phases, and energy reduction initiatives. He focuses on providing positive and action-oriented team environments to promote collaboration, problem solving and collective sharing of lessons learned. To this end, he has helped to develop a transparent system for the retention of critical organizational knowledge across the global technical team. July/August 2021 | WINGS 25
“It’s so fun to be a part of it. That’s one of the rewards of being in the technical functional support group: We are right in the middle of dealing with change,” Mazurek says. “Our operations teams rely on us to support and enable change in their respective areas, to increase their readiness to take on the work coming in to our shops. This lets them focus on perfect execution of the day to day, where we get to take a step back and help apply the evolution of technology into our business.”
OWEN MCCLUNG-SITNAM
CEO and Co-founder, Helicopters Without Borders, Vancouver, BC McClung-Sitnam, age 28, became one of the youngest helicopter pilots to achieve his ATPL in Canada and the U.S. at 21 years old. He holds several type endorsements and has accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours, primarily in Alberta and BC. Working wildfires and EMS instilled in him a passion for the power of community support through aviation, which has also been a pillar of Helijet, cofounded in 1986 by his father, Danny Sitnam. McClung-Sitnam dreamed of flying for the United Nations and World Food Program missions, but by the time offers came in, including some from Nigeria and Haiti, he had already signed onto new domestic contracts. So, at age 26, he began working on initial concepts for a humanitarian-focused, not-for-profit helicopter company, while also working toward his MBA at Royal Roads University. 26 WINGS | July/August 2021
Jimmy Oliver of StandardAero in Summerside.
Helicopters Without Borders (HWB) was incorporated in 2019, but McClungSitnam and its directors determined instead that the not-for-profit n eeded C anadian charity status to be truly effective in the capital-intensive rotorcraft sector. HWB then earned charity status in early 2021 to become the first s uch e ntity i n Canada focused on helicopters, airplanes, RPAS and eVTOL. Fundraising through private donors began immediately and, in early 2021, HWB partnered with First Nations and Indigenous governments to deliver vaccines, doctors, PPE and supplies to some of the hardest to reach communities in Western Canada. As part of its industry-inclusive mandate, HWB is now contracting helicopter and fixedwing air services from aviation operators in BC. To save costs in the initial start-up of HWB, McClung-Sitnam is serving as principal pilot and operations organizer on all flight missions.
DAVID MORGAN
President and CEO, Celtic Air Services and Axair Aviation, Port Hastings, NS Morgan, age 39, developed his career with a range of commercial operators like CanJet Airlines, First Air, Nolinor Aviation, Human Logistics, and he has most recently held a VP position with Chrono Aviation. In 2017, he took a significant step to branch
out on his own with the founding of Celtic Air Services at Allan J. MacEachen Regional Airport in Port Hawkesbury, Cape Breton. The FBO supported a significant increase in international air traffic for the airport and region, which was becoming a preeminent golf destination, in addition to the island’s traditional tourism position. “Hundreds of business jets were coming in here when there was very little service available and we just thought the airport was ripe for development,” Morgan explains. After developing the FBO, Morgan added a helicopter platform to Celtic Air to accommodate tourism growth. In late2020, he acquired a small Quebec charter company called Axair Aviation to diversify Celtic’s services. “Atlantic Canada has very few small charter companies and we always thought that we should have a way to develop our own traffic… the airfield is here, the hangar, the fuel, and the customer service team, so it’s become about building a vertically integrated company.”
JIMMY OLIVER
PT6A Delivery Supervisor, StandardAero, Summerside, PE Oliver, age 34, began his career at StandardAero’s Summerside facility in 2006 as a PT6A Assembly Apprentice. Three months later, he was promoted to technician and, in 2008, started to lead his own build team. Oliver in 2009 was promoted to a Class 3 technician within the PT6A Final WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: LARRY GOLDSTEIN
Owen McClung-Sitnam of Helicopers Without Borders in Vancouver.
Assembly department. In 2011, he was selected to join Summerside’s engine test group, where he learned how to test engines on the facility’s dynamometer test cell. Two years later, Oliver was promoted to Lead Hand within the PT6A Delivery department, becoming the facility’s youngest Lead Hand at the time. Oliver in 2015 was promoted to PT6A Delivery Supervisor, working closely with the engineering department to troubleshoot any issues that arise during the PT6A delivery process. “I enjoy teaching, showing the team how to build or if they look at things a different way that they can actually build faster and smarter,” says Oliver. “The biggest joy I get is to share the knowledge that I have gained over the last 15 years.” In addition to being a certified PT6A Engine Assembly Technician (Class 3, MRT Technician), Oliver has also completed AS9110B auditor training and Dale Carnegie leadership training.
SAURIN PATEL
Lead Hand, General Aviation, PropWorks Propeller Systems, Winnipeg, MB Patel, age 25, completed the AME program at Red River College WG_Propworks_third_JulyAug21_CSA.indd 1 in 2017. He landed his first aviation job as a baggage handler with Calm Air, but soon moved to Aero Recip, which provided the opportunity to work on engines, assemblies and disassemblies, testing and in the stores department. At the end of 2018, Saurin joined PropWorks, which focuses on overhauling propellers and governors to a standard that meets or exceeds manufacturer’s requirements. “We have customers from all around the world, so I’ve been able to work on a range of propellers,” Saurin says. “They also do composite work which is the future of aviation, so I get great hands-on training.” PropWorks in June 2020 promoted Saurin to Lead Hand, General Aviation, and he now supervises a staff of six technicians with responsibilities for all aspects of propeller overhaul, as well as training new employees. Saurin also returned to Red River College to take its Business Analyst program on a parttime basis. “Aviation engineers are trying to replace aircraft engines and fuel with electric motor and batteries, but I don’t think they will be able to replace propellers.”
Congratulations Stacey Jackson, First Officer, B737.
2021-06-17 1:01 PM
Thank you for all you do to support the aviation industry and WestJet.
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Airport from 2021 to 2025. “Right now, the airport is slot controlled at 202 daily slots every day of the year. Based on our forecasts and analysis, we know that passenger demand exceeds the current slot limits based on the airports premium location and passenger mix,” Rao explains, who is also Chair of Nieuport’s Environmental, Social, and Governance Committee.
DAVID SADE
Nishant Rao of Nieuport Aviation in Toronto.
NISHANT RAO
Manager, Analysis and Aviation Business Development, Nieuport Aviation, Toronto, ON Rao, age 30, found his passion for aviation living in four countries and travelling to 32 countries before the age of 18. He graduated from UBC in 2014 and spent a year working at Western Economic Diversification Canada, before taking his first aviation job in mid-2015 with Edmonton International as an Air Service Development Analyst. At the start of 2016, Rao move to Toronto and began a Pricing Analyst role with Porter Airlines, before returning to government for close to three years. He joined Nieuport in July 2019 as Manager of Business Development. At Nieuport, which is the owner and operator of the Toronto City Airport (YTZ) Passenger Terminal Building, Rao focuses on working with airlines to create strategic connections and business opportunities. In July 2020, he spearheaded a major pricing and capacity study to understand the economic impact of current and alternative pricing structures on airline activity levels and the economic impacts for Nieuport and the City of Toronto. “We wanted to figure out on which routes were profitable, out of our airport, and understand the best ways to support our carriers through our current aeronautical fee structure. Finally, we wanted to realize is what is demand going to look like in the next five to 10 years.” This latter focus led Rao to create a five-year aeronautical forecast to estimate passenger demand at Toronto City 28 WINGS | July/August 2021
Vice President of Operations, Chrono Aviation Group, Ottawa, ON Sade, age 37, graduated from Georgian College’s aviation program in 2009 and subsequently completed his Master’s in Aviation Management with Griffith University, focusing on the topic of why airlines fail, specifically long-haul, low-cost operators. Sade began his career at Cargojet and had an internship with the Ottawa International Airport as a Response Centre Coordinator before joining First Air as a Flight Operations Quality Assurance Coordinator in 2011. At First Air, Sade gained experience for the challenges of operating in the Canadian Arctic. In 2013, Sade found himself learning the commercial aviation world inside Quebec’s aerospace cluster working with Nolinor Aviation, taking on a number of roles from Assistant Director of Flight Operations and Director of Scheduled Operations to a Technical Writer on contract. In 2017, he joined Transport Canada as a Civil Aviation Safety Inspector focusing on technical program evaluation and coordination. His ability to analyze issues and research, in addition to his writing skills, quickly made him key resource for senior management. In 2018, he was presented with the opportunity to join Chrono Aviation, at the time an up and coming Quebec based charter airline, founded in 2012, with a diverse fleet ranging up to 737-200 aircraft. The entrepreneurial leadership of Chrono and its scope of 702, 703, 704, 705 and part 129 operations was well suited for Sade’s scope of aviation knowledge. “We have a very unique operation and, overall, the workforce is extremely motivated and dedicated,” Sade explains. “I’ve used the pandemic to look at our costs and to make the operation more efficient.” This will include ramping up new 737-800 aircraft aiming to gain a range and payload advantage in an increasingly competitive market.
BARDIA SALIMKHANI
First Officer, Wings Over Kississing, and President, Steinbach Flying Club, Steinbach, MB Salimkhani, age 28, completed his Bachelor of Arts in Aviation at Providence University College, in Otterburne, Manitoba. In 2020, he completed his Multi Engine Rating and Group 1 IFR at Harv’s Air Service in Steinbach and in March 2021 became a First Officer with Wings Over Kississing, where he began working as a Flight Booking Agent in 2019. Salimkhani is currently flying a King Air 100 to communities in northern Manitoba and Ontario. For the past two years, Salimkhani has also served as President of the Steinbach Flying Club (SFC), which he has been helping to lead since mid-2017 as a member of its executive. Serving as President since August 2018, the initiatives and programs under his leadership have allowed SFC to more than double its membership. At the same time, three new aviation-related businesses have established operations at the airport, CJB3, which has resulted in the creation of 20 new full-time jobs. Despite the pandemic environment, the airport remained relatively active through 2020 with a 17 per cent increase in traffic and fuel sales when compared to 2019. Much of this expansion of the club can be attributed to Bardia’s leadership, hard work and vision. Today, the most notable project he is focused on is a proposed eight-acre expansion of the airport hangar, maintenance and related flight services. “There is a museum right next to the airport and we have been in negotiations with them,” Salimkhani explains, describing how the group is working together to figure out what can best work for the airport, attracting the public and new business. “They have agreed to sell the land and we’re in the process of submitting a proposal for that purchase.”
JOHNATHAN SAWICKI
Manager, Safety and Environment, Sunwing Airlines, Toronto, ON Sawicki, age 30, completed his Bachelor of Management and Organization with a specialization in Commercial Aviation Management at Western University in 2012 and that same year joined Sunwing Airlines as a WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
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DAVID SCHMIDT
Senior Manager, Aerostructures Engineering, Cascade Aerospace, Abbotsford, BC Schmidt, age 35, completed seven years of post-secondary education at Carleton University with a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Applied Science, focusing on Aerospace Engineering. This included the opportunity to serve as an engineering intern with Viking Air assisting with flight testing and certification of its Turbo Otter conversion. During this time he also evaluated the engine performance of a 200-pound autonomous UAV – back in 2006 and 2007. Bringing his engineering skills and 30 WINGS | July/August 2021
Thuva Senthilnathan of Bell Textron Canada.
Anna Julia Sirghiuta of PortsToronto.
passion for aviation to Cascade Aerospace was a natural fit for Schmidt, joined the company in 2011. He has been a key member on a number of marquee programs, including: C-130 operational and maintenance training simulators for the Canadian Air Force; C-130 avionics upgrades for the Mexican Air Force; auxiliary external fuel tank modification for a Q400; and, most recently, an avionics upgrade on Viking Air’s CL-415 and CL-215T aircraft. He has also led all flight test programs at Cascade since 2013, flying as a flight test engineer and/or coordinating the test team as Flight Test Director. In April 2021, Schmidt was promoted to his current senior management role within engineering and now oversees a team of 20 engineers, carrying out all aspects of mechanical design, including prototype development, structural substantiation, production liaison, and in-service support for legacy products. “We’re busier than ever right now. My team is supporting 18 different airplanes for about 13 different customers… actively being maintained in five hangars in three countries,” Schmidt explains.
Award for the BEIMS Migration project where he was involved in the project management, testing and implementation of ENOVIA 2013X, which impacted more than 300 users alone at the Mirabel Site. In 2016, Senthilnathan completed a highvisibility project for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) on-time and on-budget. In 2018, he was promoted to Engineering Manager and tasked with directing a team to develop, build and fly the Electrically Distributed Anti-torque (EDAT) system on a twin-engine 429 testbed, which is likely to one day change the face of Bell and very possibly the entire vertical-lift industry. EDAT is composed of four small fans within a tail rotor shroud in an offset two-by-two pattern. Each of the rotors contains four blades, which are powered by separate motors with the electrical energy provided through generators driven by turbine engines. This design effectively reduces noise and offers lower operational and maintenance costs compared to an aircraft with a conventional tail rotor. “The great thing about this project is that it changed our mindset, our mentality for what we thought was possible,” Senthilnathan says. “One of our values at Bell is to make the impossible possible and, in this project, we were really able to do that.” The EDAT team in 2019 completed its first flight and Senthilnathan, along with three colleagues, received the Lawrence D. Bell Pioneer Award for Innovation. He also completed his MBA at McGill in the same year. Senthilnathan was promoted to the position of Program Manager with a mandate to build entirely new business and revenue streams for Bell.
THUVA SENTHILNATHAN
Program Manager, Commercial Development Programs, Bell Textron Canada, Montreal, QC Senthilnathan, age 32, completed his Bachelor of Engineering at McGill University in 2012 and joined Bell’s Mirabel facility, where he would fulfill an ambition to help lead the future direction of aviation and aerospace technology – instilled in him at the age of 12 after seeing a documentary on Discovery. His path at Bell began as an Airframe Design Engineer before moving into roles such as Production Supervision and Program Management. Senthilnathan in 2015 was selected for the Bell Front Line Leadership program. That same year, he received the Bell Spot
ANNA JULIA SIRGHIUTA
Customer Experience Specialist, PortsToronto, Toronto, ON Sirghiuta, age 28, founded Georgian Skies nearly four years ago while she was at WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: CHRIS PEARCE
Safety Coordinator. He progressed through the airline’s safety department with greater roles and responsibilities before becoming Aviation Safety Manager at age 25. In April 2021, Sawicki was appointed to his current position as Manager, Safety and Environment, taking on a more strategic role and leading the airline’s current environmental efforts. “We really try to maintain professionalism and trust with all of our frontline employees, because they are our eyes,” Sawicki says, describing his team’s efforts to develop open lines of communication to benefit Sunwing’s safety culture. “Our employees are the ones who see the possible hazards in operations, we want them to know their reports will be handled appropriately and also show them how valuable this information can be.” Sawicki is a member and volunteer with the NGPA (National Gay Pilots Association) and is recognized as one of Canadian aviation’s leaders in promoting LGBTQ2+ inclusion. He was a founding member of Sunwing Airlines’ employeeled diversity and inclusion committee (You Are You! at Sunwing (Y.A.Y!)), in 2018. Y.A.Y! has since rebranded and expanded as Sunwing’s Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and encompasses all of the company’s global entities. “It’s now a Sunwing Travel Group initiative that covers all eight of our divisions from Alberta to Antigua, the whole gamut,” Sawicki explains. “From an airline point of view, inclusion is good for CRM and flight safety. If people feel safe at work and feel like they can be themselves and there’s no judgement, that’s good for safety. We do a lot to get rid of distractions in the workplace and build on teamwork, but if inclusion is not part of the discussion, then we are missing something.”
Georgian College, pursuing a career in aviation after earning a Bachelor’s degree at the University of Toronto and worked as a Flight Attendant with Air Canada Rouge. The initial mandate of Georgian Skies focused on inspiring and supporting women in their pursuit of careers in the Canadian aviation industry. Georgian Skies, however, soon took on a new direction to also focus on inclusion and equality, aiming to provide direct peer support for anyone on campus who felt different. The college recognized the organization’s importance by awarding Sirghiuta with its Changemakers Award. The group continued to foster inclusion through a conference program that eventually turned virtual under the pandemic environment. Georgian Skies continued to build itself as a mentoring program, which now stretches outside of the campus to support diversity across the aviation industry, with the college also committing to continue the program when school returns to more normal conditions. The Georgian Skies executive was taken over by a new cohort of students, but Sirghiuta remains involved in helping to steer its important work for diversity and inclusion. In late 2018, she joined PortsToronto as a Customer Experience Specialist.
BENTLEY THISTLETHWAITE
PRM, MD-M, Heli-Lynx Helicopters, Stoney Creek, ON Thistlethwaite, age 39, comes from an aviation family with his father and uncle working in the industry. He spent his childhood in Papua New Guinea before coming to Canada at around age 14 and would graduate from Canadore College’s Aircraft Maintenance Technician program in 2002. He pursued his apprenticeship with Brampton Flying Club until Heli-Lynx provided him with the opportunity of moving into the rotary wing sector. Then, as a new company focusing on maintenance and completions of light Eurocopter aircraft, Heli-Lynx provided Thistlethwaite with a range of experience from avionics and painting to structural repairs, component overhauls, composite repairs, major STC incorporations and maintenance. In the past few years, under new ownership, Heli-Lynx’s focus remains on being a leader of premium completions and maintenance. Thistlethwaite oversees all production and AMO operation, including off-site pre-purchase inspections and aircraft imports/exports, drawing on his experience as a skilled AME, college WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
instructor and many years as a manager. “We are completely transparent with customers, in what we're doing and what it costs, and giving them options,” Thistlethwaite says, explaining why he feels HeliLynx is a unique company. “We want them to see the value in what they are spending and the quality workmanship that we can provide.” With multiple type endorsements, A&P license and Minister’s Delegate qualification, Thistlethwaite plans to start his rotorcraft flight training.
JOELLE THORGRIMSON
Captain and Flight Surgeon, Royal Canadian Air Force, Cold Lake, AB Thorgrimson, age 32, was posted to CFB 4 Wing Cold Lake in mid-2019 as a Medical Officer, before taking on her current role as a Flight Surgeon. 4 Wing holds Canada’s primary fighter jet fleet, as well as a rotary-wing SAR squadron, and a range of tactical and maintenance squadrons, as well as Canada’s world-class tactical fighter force training. From Kenora, Ontario, Thorgrimson is a role model as a Metis person who is developing her expertise in aerospace medicine, supported by a BScH in astrophysics, MSc in quantum physics and completion of medical school and residency at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. “The military was the best avenue for me to pursue that goal and, in between medical school and residency, I earned my pilot’s license, which was a lifelong dream,” she explains, noting how rewarding it has been to serve in the military, which recently included a training mission in a CF-188 Hornet fighter, reaching 48,000 feet and pulling 7 Gs. Thorgrimson is currently working toward her CPL. Among a range of community involvement, including previous work with the Metis Nation of Ontario, Thorgrimson is the Director of the Canadian Society of Aerospace Medicine, a Board Member of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada, and Vice Chair for The Ninety-Nines, Sleeping Giant Chapter.
RYAN VAN HAREN
Founder, Cardinal Aviation, and Chief Pilot, Onni Group, Pitt Meadows, BC Van Haren, age 36, founded Cardinal in 2018, as he worked full time as an Air Traffic Controller, to promote proficiency and safety among GA pilots. His 11 years of commercial flying experience and seven years of ATC provided a unique perspective to share
Captain Joelle Thorgrimson in Cold Lake.
with clients of all skill sets. Cardinal is now a full-time operation with a team of more than 12 pilots, coaching on everything from piston aircraft to Turbine TBMs. Van Haren started his career by flying Twin Otters for Kenn Borek in the Canadian Arctic, followed by work with Northern Thunderbird (B350 and B1900) and Helijet (Learjet for medevac) before moving to corporate jets with Onni for three years, which was then followed by NAV Canada as a Terminal Radar Controller. Van Haren also helped start the not-for-profit BC General Aviation Association. In May 2021, Van Haren rejoined Onni to serve as its Chief Pilot and Aviation Manager, which includes the opportunity to fly a Gulfstream GV. “I’m honestly more excited about running the department and creating a collaborative and forwardlooking culture than I am about the airplane,” Van Haren explains.
JAMES WONG
Vice President, Sales and Cargo, Menzies Aviation (Canada), Toronto, ON Wong, age 39, graduated from SAIT’s avionics program and he also earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, which followed his earlier pursuit of aviation through the Air Cadets, earning his PPL at age 16. Wong joined WestJet where he worked in progressive roles for the next 10 years, eventually becoming Manager of Operational Performance in 2016. After then working with clearGRID, focusing on flight operations for data collection and analysis, Wong joined Menzies Aviation in mid-2019 as Station Manager for its YVR base. He soon took on responsibilities for business development in Canada, leading July/August 2021 | WINGS 31
100 per cent growth of airport operations in Canada and significantly increasing Menzies’ partnership portfolio. Wong also collaborated with the company’s Americas business by supporting its air cargo interests. In his current dual role, which he took on in November 2020, Wong is a key leader in providing global airport logistics services for Menzies. Wong is a member of the Toronto University Health Network Impact Board and is a pilot with the rank of Captain in the Royal Canadian Air Force CIC, committed to the ongoing development of Canadian youth in
the Air Cadets program. He is also a small business owner with a focus on training of motorcyclists across Alberta.
AMR YOSRY
First Officer, ATR 42 and 72, Calm Air International, Thompson, MB Yosry, age 30, immigrated to Canada from Egypt in 2010 and earned his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering in the field of Aerospace and Propulsion in 2016. During this time, he started flight training and completed his licences with Cargair Flight
Amr Yorsy of Calm Air in Thompson.
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Academy to become a commercial pilot in 2017, which is the same year he joined Collins Aerospace as a Certification and Airworthiness Program Engineer. In this role, he was embedded with Bombardier in Montreal to help with certification programs on its business aircraft. “Seeing how everything was integrated was a massive opportunity to witness from an engineering and flying prospective,” Yosry says. Yosry has now been at Calm Air for close to two years, leveraging the company’s extensive program designed to train low-hour pilots, joining the company as soon as he reached 250 hours. He moved from Montreal to Thompson, Manitoba, where the airline holds one of its key bases as a gateway to the north. He is flying the ATR 42 and 72, with most of his time spent on the latter larger aircraft for its ability to carry up to 15,000 pounds of cargo. “We fly in very rough and remote areas and having that experience at a young age is huge,” Yosry explains, thinking like a pilot, describing the advantages of working with Calm Air, flying into the Arctic with gravel and icy runways, sometimes with landing weights close to 45,000 pounds in low visibility. Outside of the cockpit, Yosry is involved in serving his pilot group as its elected Air Line Pilots Association union representative and Vice Chairman at his base. He is an Auxiliary Firefighter with the Thompson Fire Department and a volunteer with the local ski hill. “Serving my community in my free time is extremely rewarding,” Yosry says. “It allows me to learn new skills while expanding my network.” | W
32 WINGS | July/August 2021 Pilatus_PC-12NGX_Wings_117.48x190.5mm.indd 1 WG_Levareo_julyAug21_CSA.indd 1
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The Aerial Firefighting Directory, presented by WINGS and HELICOPTERS, features key suppliers of aircraft, equipment and services for the aerial firefighting sector. The directory also includes a range of rotary- and fixed-wing operators invovled in emergecy forestry services, as well key North American agencies and associations for the sector. As many companies involved in aerial firefighting, such as Babcock, Conair and Coulson, provide a range of services from developing and modifyng aircraft to also operating and maintaining both rotary-and fixed-wing fleets for fire suppression, as well as training, they have been included here in their primary operating category.
AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS AIR TRACTOR Olney, TX, airtractor.com > Tracing its root back to 1951 when founder Leland Snow designed his first ag airplane, Air Tractor today focuses its firefighting production around two aircraft, including: The AT-802F Initial Attack Firefighter, powered by powerful a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67AG turbine, and the AT-802F Fire Boss Amphibious Scooper Air Tanker designed to deliver up to 14,000 gallons per hour for extended attack or ground support. AIRBUS HELICOPTERS Marignane, France, airbuscanada.ca > Airbus Helicopters employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide. Its fleet in service includes nearly 12,000 helicopters operated by more than 3,000 customers across 150 countries. Its U.S. affiliate is headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas, while Airbus Helicopters Canada operates out of a 138,000-square-foot facility in Fort Erie, ON. In addition to hundreds of older-generation platforms in use to fight fires, the company's full range of helicopters can be integrated for fire suppression. BELL TEXTRON Fort Worth, TX, bellflight.com > Bell, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron, is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned verticallift aircraft. It serves Bell customers in more than 120 countries, with its Canadian facility in Mirabel, QC, serving key contributor to Bell’s 505 production chain. In addition to a large legacy fleet fighting fires, Bell in 2018 introduced its 407GXi as a new platform for potential fire suppression integration. ERICKSON Portland, OR, ericksoninc.com > Erickson has been a world leader in heavy
The CL-515 is Viking’s next-gen platform of the Canadiar CL-415, regarded as the world’s benchmark amphibious firefighting aircraft. (Photo: Longview Aviation)
lift and aerial firefighting for more than 20 years. This includes its S-64 Air Crane Helitankers, equipped with fire suppression systems, which can drop more than 95,000 liters every hour. FIRE BOSS South St. Paul, MN, firebossllc.com > Fire Boss LLC is the manufacturer of the Fire Boss water scooping system exclusively installed on the Air Tractor AT-802. The Fire Boss system combines airframe modifications, performance enhancements and a pair of Wipline 10000 amphibious water-scooping floats that enable the AT-802 to scoop up to 800 gallons in 15 seconds. HELITAK FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT Noosaville, Australia, helitak.com.au > Helitak develops a range of systems for aerial firefighting, including its underbelly Fire Tank featuring a new design to allow a flexible bladder to expand while being filled; and then retract within its housing when empty. These tanks are custom built with a carrying capacity from 1,000 to 10,000 litres. KAMAN AIR VEHICLES Bloomfield, CT, kaman.com Kaman Air Vehicles, a division of Kaman Corp., manufacturers the K-MAX helicopter platform, described as a rugged, low-maintenance aircraft with a counter-rotating rotor system that is optimized for cyclical, external load operations. The aircraft can lift up to 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg). KAWAK AVIATION Bend, OR, kawakaviation.com > Kawak Aviation engineers and produces aerial firefighting products focusing on tank-
ing systems, related pumps and hydraulics. Its tank systems, refill pumps and hydraulic power solutions are leveraged by a range of platforms like Bell, Kaman and Firehawks. ISOLAIR Bend, OR, isolairinc.com > Isolair has been manufacturing helicopter systems for aerial firefighting, agricultural, and forest industries for more than 30 years with a range of certified equipment, from torches and buckets to tanking systems. Its Eliminator II Fire Fighting Systems, integrating tank, pump, doors and control, can be found working throughout the world. RECOIL AEROSPACE Josephine, WI, recoil-usa.com > Established in 2008, Recoil Suppression Systems, a division of Recoil Aerospace, designs and manufacturers lightweight, carbon fibre composite Tsunami Wildland Fire Suppression tanks. SEI INDUSTRIES Delta, BC, sei-ind.com > SEI Industries first introduced the original Bambi Bucket to the firefighting community in 1982. This lightweight, strong, flexible firefighting bucket – with its relatively low-cost plugand-play capability – promoted usage of helicopters on wildfires and saw immediate success as a firefighting tool. SEI today services more than 90 per cent of the world’s aerial firefighting water-bucket market. Globally, the Bambi is now used in more than 115 countries and by more than 1,000 helicopter operators. SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT Stratford, CT , lockheedmartin.com > Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is a
Aerial Firefighting Directory I 3
world leader in helicopter design, manufacture and service, with longstanding Canadian ties through its operation in Ottawa, ON. Its new-generation S-70i FIREHAWK helicopter, using United Rotorcraft’s aerial firefighting system, features a 1,000-gallon belly water tank, extended landing gear, 600-pound rescue hoist and NVG compatible digital cockpit. The multi-role FIREHAWK can carry up to 13 firefighters and their gear, drop 1,000 gallons of water with precision, and perform at a dash speed of up to 140 knots. UNIVERSAL AVIONICS Tucson, AZ, uasc.com > Universal Avionics, an Elbit Systems Company, develops commercial avionics systems offered as retrofit and forward-fit solutions for a range of aircraft. Its combined Enhanced Flight Vision Systems (EFVS) and HeadWearable/Helmet-Mounted Displays (HWD / HMD) provide enhanced situational awareness during the aerial fire suppression. VIKING AIR Victoria, BC, vikingair.com > Viking Air, a subsidiary of Longview Aviation Capital, is a global leader in buildng utility aircraft, including the Canadair CL-215, CL-215T and CL-415 amphibious aerial firefighters. Viking Air supports global operators with factory spare parts, in-service engineering and technical support. The CL-415EAF (Enhanced Aerial Firefighter) is a limited-edition upgrade of select CL-215 Series V airframes chosen due to their low times and outstanding maintenance history. The CL-515 is the next generation of purpose-built aerial firefighter and multi-role amphibious aircraft currently under development, designed to hold a tank capacity of 7,000 litres.
its broadband capabilities with fall-back to satellite. A range of bucket/tank configurations and reporting options are available. GUARDIAN MOBILITY Ottawa, ON, guardianmobility.com > Guardian Mobility develops technology and solutions to empower aircraft fleet managers and owner-operators with fundamental operational data for making timely decisions. Established in Ottawa in 2002, its flight tracking solutions include hardware, airtime, software and support. The technology is leveraged for mission critical environments like fire suppression, EMS, utilities and law enforcement. The Guardian Mobility ATU solution provides a complete end-to-end system supporting ATU, AFF, text messaging and more all in a single box. The company is backed by parent Metro Aviation, a world leader in EMS and related aircraft modification. IQONBOARD Squamish, BC, iqonboard.com > IQonboard was founded by engineers and pilots aiming to add a new level of safety to the helicopter industry. It developed the IQtag and app as wearable technology to provide a real-time view of crew, cargo, and total payload, accessible through a web browser, including Fatigue Risk Management tools. OVERWATCH IMAGING Hood River, OR, overwatchimaging.com > Overwatch Imaging designs and manufactures thermal imaging systems with custom onboard AI software for both piloted and unmanned aircraft. Its systems can detect small spot fires, map large complex fire perimeters and provide decision makers with real-time situational awareness.
CHURCHILL NAVIGATION Boulder, CO, churchillnavigation.com > Churchill manufactures systems to capture and record video, provide real-time augmented reality mapping, and to archive and index recorded video. Its systems are used by a range of operators in law enforcement, SAR, emergency management services, security, fire suppression, military agencies, and media.
SKYTRAC SYSTEMS Kelowna, BC, Skytrac.com > SKYTRAC Systems is a leading provider of satellite communications and intelligent connectivity. It develops cost-effective technology to provide operators with real-time information for fast-moving wildfires. This includes SDL-350 and IMS-350 satellite communication terminals, working with recently launched Iridium Certus, allowing aircrews to send live video transmission, EO/IR imaging data, and more, directly to the ground.
FLIGHTCELL INTERNATIONAL Nelson, New Zealand, flightcell.com > Flightcell International is a global producer of airborne integrated-mobile communications and manufacturers the DZMx as an allin-one Iridium and cellular solution for voice, data, and aircraft tracking. The DZMx is used by CAL FIRE, Erickson and Kestrel Aviation, among others, leveraging its built-in ATU and
SPIDERTRACKS Auckland, New Zealand, spidertracks.com > Spidertracks, a leading provider of satellitebased real-time flight tracking, active flight following and communication solutions, recently launched its next-generation Spider X to make flight data monitoring (FDM) accessible as a lightweight and affordable solution. Expanding on the power of Virtual FDR, it
TRACKING AND IMAGING
4 I Aerial Firefighting Directory
introduces an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) with data transmitted wirelessly over the air, providing information about an aircraft’s orientation and position. TECHNISONIC INDUSTRIES Mississauga, ON, til.ca > Founded in 1990, Technisonic focuses on the development of aeronautical band VHF ground equipment and Special Mission Airborne RF and audio communications systems. Its tactical airborne VHF, UHF and multi-band communications systems are used for air ambulance, electronic news gathering, fire suppression, and law enforcement. TRACPLUS Dunedin, New Zealand, tracplus.com > TracPlus is one of the world’s most versatile and adaptable tracking and communications providers, offering real-time tracking, event reporting and messaging. TracPlus is unique in that it enables multiple asset types to be tracked and integrated into one cohesive system, meaning contractors can use their own tracking systems but send their data to TracPlus when working alongside others. With more than 1,000 customers in 40-plus countries, TracPlus has more than 7.5 million recorded operational hours.
MRO AND MODIFICATIONS CASCADE AEROSPACE Abbottsford, BC, Cascadeaerospace.com > Cascade Aerospace, an operating unit of IMP Aerospace & Defence, supports a diverse range of airframe platforms and operational needs. This includes supporting military, government and commercial aircraft. Cascade is well-known for its aerospace engineering services for custom product design, manufacturing and certification. In mid-2019, Viking Air announced Cascade would serve as a partner for its newly launched Avionics Upgrade Program (AUP) for the Canadair CL-215T and CL-415 fleet of aerial firefighting aircraft. LONGVIEW AVIATION SERVICES Calgary, AB, longviewaviation.com > Longview Aviation Services, located at Calgary International Airport, was established in 2018 in partnership with Viking Air to launch the CL-415EAF Enhanced Aerial Firefighter conversion program. In mid-2020, Longview delivered the first CL-415EAF to Bridger Aerospace Group. SELECT HELICOPTER SERVICES Kelowna, BC, selecthelicopter.com > Select Helicopter Services specializes in the repair and overhaul of hydraulic components and cargo hooks. It offers support of hydrau-
lic flight controls and components installed on light and medium Bell helicopters, as well as Airbus H125 (AS350) and AS355 aircraft. TAE AEROSPACE Queensland, Australia, taeaerospace.com TAE operates facilities throughout Asia-Pacific and the Americas to service a worldwide customer base, providing a range of aerial firefighting products and services for both fixedand rotary-wing applications. The company specializes in OEM-backed fuel controls, power turbine and overspeed governor and starter generator services. UNITED ROTORCRAFT Englewood, CO, unitedrotorcraft.com > United Rotorcraft is the products division of Air Methods with more than 25 years of experience installing airframe accessories on rotor and fixed-wing aircraft. The company designs, integrates and installs medical equipment, avionics, and accessories for EMS, medevac, firefighting, airborne law enforcement, and SAR operators.
FUEL SYSTEMS EXECUTIVE FLIGHT CENTRE Calgary, AB, efcaviation.ca > Executive Flight Centre’s core business has been aviation fuel for more than 40 years. It holds an established network of infrastructure, dedicated aviation trucks, and long-term relationships with Canada’s primary fuel refiners to ensure a dependable fuel supply of Jet A1 and Avgas (100LL) to customers throughout Western Canada. The company has been a provider of aviation fuel to aerial firefighting operations for over 20 years. PEAR CANADA Mississauga, ON, pearcanada.com > With a distribution centre in Richmond, BC, PEAR Canada provides a range of aviation fuel handling needs, which includes filtration, fuel sampling/testing, aviation hose, filtration, single point and over-wing fueling nozzles, pressure/delta P gauges, hose reels, bonding reels, pumps, meters, filters and pipe fittings/valves, fueling cabinets and related products.
CANADIAN OPERATORS 49 NORTH HELICOPTERS Campbell River, BC, 49northhelicopters.com > Founded as a flight school in 2005, under the name of Coast Mountain, 49 North’s pilots hold years of in light and medium helicopters throughout western Canada providing a wide variety of services including, fire suppression, longlining, forestry operations, bird towing, surveying and patrols.
6 I Aerial Firefighting Directory
Taiga of Winnipeg is a unique air service company, providing utility helicopter services and specialized remote sensing, thermal scanning and aerial imaging.
ABERDEEN HELICOPTERS > Prince George, BC, aberdeenheli.com Aberdeen is a multi-mission provider including fire suppression and a range of forestry applications, as well as missions for mountain climbing, back-country hiking, skiing, fishing, wilderness photography, mining exploration and powerline maintenance. ADVANTAGE HELICOPTERS Vernon, BC, advantageheli.com > Founded in 1994, Advantage Helicopters is an owner-operator driven company holding Bell aircraft that are fire-suppression ready. The company primarily provides helicopter charter services, in addition to its aircraft maintenance organization status. AHLSTROM AIR Nordegg, AB, helinordegg.com > Founded in 1997, Ahlstrom provides commercial helicopter services with an emphasis on forestry, including fire suppression in addition to fish and wildlife survey, and animal tracking. In addition to seismic, oil and gas work, the operator provides support for remote access and SAR. AIRSPAN HELICOPTERS Sechelt, BC, airspanhelicopters.com > A Transport Canada-approved maintenance facility, Airspan holds a fleet of six helicopters providing a range of services with an emphasis on forestry work, including aerial firefighting support. ARROW HELICOPTERS Revelstoke, BC, arrowhelicopters.com > Founded in 2005, Arrow, which provides Vertical Reference Training for high- or lowtime pilots, specializes in SAR services. The Class D approved company also provides fire suppression in addition to mountain missions like avalanche control and heli-ski charters. ASCENT HELICOPTERS Parksville, BC, ascenthelicopters.ca > Ascent is a Class D approved operator pro-
viding fire suppression in addition to a range of sectors like utilities, construction, film and television, heli-skiing, air ambulance and natural resources. With a second base in Fernie and a fleet or around eight helicopters, including NVG capabilities, Ascent holds a Transport Canada approved hoisting program. AURORA HELICOPTERS Vernon, BC, auroraheli.com > Aurora Helicopters provides fire suppression and pre-suppression, which includes transporting firefighting personnel and equipment to pre-determined locations, as well as carrying out aerial smoke patrols to detect forest fires in high hazard areas. The company’s suppression activities include scene transport, airborne reconnaissance and communication, and water bucket drops. BABCOCK CANADA Ottawa, ON, Babcockcanada.com > Babcock provides critical services, technology and support solutions for assets in the defence, emergency services, and civil nuclear domains. Babcock holds civil and defence, fixed and rotary wing, training, and operational aviation expertise and experience across several countries. The company has more than 30 years of providing aerial firefighting services, with more than 90 Babcock-owned aircraft in service, serving on more than 5,000 firefighting missions per year, accounting for more than 15,000 firefighting flight hours. BAILEY HELICOPTERS Fort St John, BC, baileyhelicopters.com > Founded in 1989, Bailey provides a range of services across multiple industries and sectors, including forestry support and fire suppression, from operations centres in Fort St. John, Fort Nelson and Prince George, BC, along with Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta. BIGHORN HELICOPTERS Cranbrook, BC, bighorn.ca > Founded more than 30 years ago, Bighorn provides a range of services, including fire
OVER 50 YEARS SUPPRESSING WILDFIRES SUPPORTING FIREFIGHTERS
Conair is a global leader in aerial firefighting, operating the largest privately-owned fixed-wing fleet of specialty aircraft in the world. Operating in Canada, the US, Europe, Australia and beyond, the organization provides a comprehensive range of aircraft, crew, maintenance, training and expertise to support government agencies fighting wildfires. Conair’s versatile fleet of 70 aircraft includes Bird Dogs, Land-Based Airtankers and Amphibious Aircraft, including the CL215T, CL415 and AT802 Fire Boss. Flying up to 12,000 flight hours per year, a team of 330 professionals ensures all aircraft are maintained and equipped with the latest technologies, proactively going above and beyond to ensure aircraft are ready to dispatch, keeping firetrucks in the sky when the call comes. With a focus on safety, Conair offers its pilots a specialized Training + Tactics Centre, the only one in the world of its kind, ensuring crews have access to training tools and simulators that produce successful missions in real world operations.
NEW: Q400AT – FAST, FUEL EFFICIENT, FLEXIBLE A Next Generation turboprop offering a proprietary Retardant Delivery System, with a 10,000 litre capacity to drop suppressant over diverse geography. While its mission is fire suppression, it is its environmental performance that is setting the standard for future airtankers, producing 30% less emissions than aircraft of similar size. A modern airtanker with strong OEM support to keep the firefighter flying for decades. The future of aerial firefighting.
Conair provides aircraft for purchase, lease or contract and offers specialized services including engineering, flight operations and fleet maintenance related to aerial firefighting. CONTACT Jeff Berry, Director of Business Development jberry@conair.ca | Phone: 604 557 2777 | conair.ca
VARIANT: Q400MR – ONE AIRCRAFT, MANY MISSIONS The world’s most versatile airtanker, a multi-role aircraft suited to a variety of emergency response roles. Capable of reconfiguring within hours between aerial firefighting airtanker (10,000 litres retardant, water or gel), cargo (9t), passenger (64 pax), combi-transport, or medical evacuation missions (6 stretchers with clinical team and medical equipment). Designed with the capacity, speed, and performance required for crisis situations.
suppression, as an authorized operator for the provinces of Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. The company is AOC and AMO certified and has access to a fully equipped SAR mobile treatment station. BLACKCOMB HELICOPTERS Whistler, BC, blackcombhelicopters.com > Blackcomb has provided firefighting assistance across BC and Canada for more than 30 years with services such as human transport, water bucketing, Bird Dog flights, and equipment transportation. The company is built on the concept of the Multi-Mission Helicopter, with an emphasis on rescue and medevac. BLACK SWAN HELICOPTERS Berwyn, AB, blackswanhelicopters.com > In addition to charter and maintenance services for Airbus, Bell and Robinson helicopters, Black Swan’s forestry focus includes surveying, longlining and fire suppression. The company was founded in 2003. BLACK TUSK HELICOPTERS Brackendale, BC, blacktuskhelicopter.com > Black Tusk has provided fire suppression for various agency and centres from BC to Quebec, with experience in longlining and water drops. Its fleet is equipped with Bambi Buckets and automated flight following sys-
tems to meet requirements of both BC and Alberta Wildfire agencies. Its Bell 214B and AStar are equipped with foam-injection systems. Certified to transport dangerous goods and to use two 16,000 plus litre fuel trucks and two 18,000-litre tanks to transport aviation fuel in support of aircraft fighting fires. CANADIAN HELICOPTERS Les Cedres, QC, canadianhelicopters.com > Tracing its roots back to 1947 in Penticton, BC, Canadian Helicopters specializes in the transport of personnel and cargo to remote locations, fire suppression, conducting seismic surveys, aerial lift for construction and high voltage transmission line projects. The company, with associated flight training and maintenance operations, including Heliwelders, is located in eight Canadian province and territories. COLDSTREAM HELICOPTERS Kelowna, BC, coldstreamhelicopters.com > With bases in BC and Alberta, Coldstream specializes in emergency helicopter services like fire suppression, mountain rescue and disaster support, as well as longlining. CONAIR GROUP Abbotsford, BC, conair.ca > Founded in 1969, Conair is a global leader
in aerial firefighting, operating the largest privately-owned fixed-wing fleet of specialty aircraft in the world. It operates in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia and beyond. Conair’s fleet of around 70 aircraft includes Bird Dogs, Land-Based Airtankers and Amphibious Aircraft, including the Q400AT, CL215T, CL415 and AT802 Fire Boss. Flying up to 12,000 flight hours per year, the company has developed more than 15 new aircraft types and over 175 individual aircraft for the airtanker and firefighting markets. COUGAR HELICOPTERS St. John’s, NL, cougar.ca > Cougar has been providing SAR services since 1991, primarily focusing on its core offshore oil and gas clients with Sikorsky aircraft. The company also holds a Transport Canada Approved Maintenance Organization facility. COULSON AVIATION Port Alberni, BC, coulsonaviation.com > With more than 36 years of experience in aerial fire suppression, Coulson is one of the world's largest players in the sector with operations in Canada, Australia, Chile and the United States. In addition to its leading modification of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters for fire suppression, Coulson’s other rotary-
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Identifying Guiding Training Saving Lives
CONTACT: David E. Johnson Director, Business Development MAG Aerospace Canada O: 226.499.1199 | M: 519.857.7896 E: david.johnson@magaero.ca 180 King Street South, Unit 602, Waterloo, ON, N2J 1P8
wing operations include heli-logging, powerline construction, passenger transport and heavy lift. Its fleet is geared for mobility and self-sufficiency with support by mobile fuel tankers and aircraft maintenance service vehicles staffed with qualified engineers. CUSTOM HELICOPTERS St. Andrews, MB, customheli.com > Founded in 1977, Custom holds a fleet of around 25 helicopters providing a range of services, including fire suppression, as well as applications for powerline, construction, mining exploration, oil and gas (utilities, including offshore), medevac, SAR, Class D external loads and wildlife surveys, among others. DELTA HELICOPTERS Sturgeon County, AB, deltahelicopters.com > In addition to its Edmonton head office, Delta holds five other base locations and has more than 45 years of experience working with the forestry industry across Canada. For fire suppression support, Delta provides sling gear, longlines, nets, drip torch, water bucket, infrared and video scanning equipment. DISCOVERY HELICOPTERS Atlin, BC, discoveryheli.ca > Founded in 1990 as a family-owned company, Discovery’s helicopters are fire suppression capable with satellite-based flight following systems, satellite phones, Bambi buckets, and longlines. Its crew members are trained in mountain flying and fire suppression. EAST WEST HELICOPTERS Salmon Arm, BC, eastwesthelicopters.com > Founded in 1997 to focus on logging operations, East West Helicopters holds vast longline experience and work in aerial firefighting. The company specializes in precision lift work, holding a self-contained service facility and its own tanker for helicopter refueling. ECLIPSE HELICOPTERS Penticton, BC, eclipseheli.com > With bases in Penticton and Cranbrook, BC, Eclipse provides a range of services including aerial firefighting, as well as SAR and U.S.-based operating experience. EDMONTON REGIONAL HELICOPTERS Edmonton, AB, erhelicopters.com > A privately held operator, Edmonton Regional holds a main base at Edmonton International Airport (CYEG), with offices at Executive Flight Centre Terminal 1. The company provides a range of forestry services throughout central Alberta, including west to the Rocky Mountains. FOREST HELICOPTERS Kenora, ON, foresthelicopters.com
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> Founded in 1997, holding an AS350focused fleet, Forest Helicopters supports all aspects of fire suppression. With decades of aerial firefighting experience, its pilots’ proficiency extends beyond baseline requirements for crews to hold in-depth knowledge of fire behaviour, logistical support, and tactical applications like aerial ignition. FRONTLINE HELICOPTERS Williams Lake, BC, frontlinehelicopters.ca > With its main base located just south of Williams Lake, Frontline provides wildfire suppression and related services like air taxi, infrared scanning and mapping, as well as wildlife capture and survey. The company is a Transport Canada AMO. GREAT SLAVE HELICOPTERS Yellowknife, NT, gsheli.com > Great Slave Helicopters operates a diverse fleet of more than 30 single- and twin-engine helicopters, with more than 20 per cent being aboriginally owned, through partnerships with a range of operators. As a result, this Northern Canadian group runs around 15 bases with a range forestry services including wildfire suppression. GRIZZLY HELICOPTERS Campbell River, BC, grizzlyhelicopters.com > Founded in 2008 as a family owned and operated business, Grizzly flies ASTAR350 B2 helicopters out of bases in Campbell River and Port McNeill, providing firefighting services in the region, as well as forestry applications like remote access, medevac, powerline patrols and wildlife management. GUARDIAN HELICOPTERS Calgary, AB, guardianhelicopters.com > Guardian was founded in 1995 in Fort Nelson, BC, before relocating its head office at Springbank Airport. Beyond its oil and gas work, Guardian provides a range of forestry services for management and protection, as well as fire suppression with expertise in aerial ignition, infrared scanning, cone collection, GPS and video mapping.
ry services including firefighting by both bucketing or deploying retardant. The Sikorsky-equipped company provides fire suppression throughout North America and internationally. HELIQWEST AVIATION Sturgeon County, AB, heliqwest.com > With a second base near Duncan, BC, in addition to its Edmonton-area location and Colorado international headquarters, HeliQwest is a charter company specializing in external load and operations like fire suppression, as well as seismic, aerial harvesting, inspection and surveillance, mapping, photography, survey, and general transport. HIGH TERRAIN HELICOPTERS Nelson, BC, highterrainhelicopters.com > Serving the Kootenays since 1992, High Terrain operates Bell and Airbus helicopters out of Nelson, Nakusp and Kaslo following aerial firefighting guidelines set-out by CIFFC and HAC. Its capabilities include longline slinging, water bucketing, bird dogging, and crew transport. HORIZON HELICOPTERS Whitehorse, YT, horizonhelicopters.ca > Based at Whitehorse Airport with a satellite base in Dawson City, Horizon since its founding has provided wildfire support within Alberta, BC and the Yukon, leveraging a fleet primarily comprised of AS350 helicopters. HY-RIDGE HELICOPTERS Coleman, BC, hyridge.ca > Also flying out of Sparwood, BC, Hy-Ridge provides a range of mountain-focused services, including fire suppression, leveraging an AS 350 B3 throughout Western Canada.
HELI SOURCE Red Deer, AB, helisourceltd.com > Heli Source provides a range of services for the forestry sector including fire suppression, aerial seeding and fertilizing, logging support, heli-torching and more. This includes mountain flying and vertical reference (longline) operations, while being equipped for water delivery and crew transport.
MAG AEROSPACE CANADA Dryden, ON, magaero.ca Founded in 1950, MAG operates, deploys, and maintains fixed-wing and RPAS aircraft for fire surveillance (detection and mapping) and airspace management (air attack/lead plane) services. It provides civilian operators with a spectrum of aerial fire services: pilots and mission systems operators; maintenance for the aircraft, sensors and mission equipment; logistics and support; and site and program management. The company’s multiintelligence data collection and processing/ exploitation/dissemination services include electro-optical infra-red (EO/IR) full motion video (FMV), multispectral imagery (MSI), and satellite data downlink..
HÉLICOPTÈRES HÉLICARRIER Royale, QC, helicarrier.com > Founded in 2010, Hélicarrier holds heavy lift capabilities and provides a range of forest-
MONASHEE HELICOPTERS Vernon, BC, monasheehelicopters.com > With a new base in High Level, AB, to better serve the north, in addition to its existing
ATU solution made easy
Guardian AFF expanded capabilities in a costeffective solution all from an all-in-one box What is new from Guardian Mobility for aerial firefighting? Guardian Mobility Inc. (GMI) has introduced the G4MX2 as an enhanced single box solution for helicopter and fixed wing aerial firefighting with new features: • Iridium Only or Dual network modes, with automatic & manual switching between Iridium and Cellular Networks, for areas that have Cellular coverage, providing lower cost and if required faster Additional Telemetry Units (ATU) and Automated Flight Following (AFF) update rates; • Expanded I/Os allowing support for multi-region ATU Combo contracts and custom ATU with external input generated Mapping event operations; and • Support for both US Forestry, NAFC OPS-014 and custom ATU contracts out of the box for Buckets, Tanks, Combo and non-ATU operations.
What positions Guardian Mobility as a leader in aerial firefighting? • GMI developed one of the first ATU systems prior to US Forestry contract requirements and tested it with several Helicopter and fixed wing companies, and GMI has continued to adapt the product to support both USDA and OPS-014 evolving ATU requirements; and • Aerial firefighting is a major company focus for GMI and is a core capability of the cost effective, compact G4MX2 product and service. GMI continues to evolve the G4MX2 product and end-to-end solution to support evolving Aerial firefighting technologies.
GUARDIAN MOBILITY 43 Auriga Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2E 7Y8 T: 1.613.225.8885 • F: 888.817.8159
How is Guardian Mobility’s flight tracking system unique? • The G4MX2 is a single box low-cost solution allowing for AFF/ATU/FDMS/Mapping Events/Comms/Mark fire position/Alerting and more with a dual network capability.
Why is Guardian Mobility’s platform a true end-to-end solution? The G4MX2 solution encompasses all that the User needs: • Single box G4MX2 aircraft installed provides automated AFF/ATU/FDMS/Alerting/Mapping events and supports 2-way texting and mark position of fire locations; • GMI Connect APP for Aircrew comms and User Admin & Maintenance support available for android and iOS smart devices; and • GMI Connect App provides ATU installation and verification support to ensure installation is correct.
GENERAL INQUIRIES: inquiries@guardianmobility.com
guardianmobility.com
Vernon home base, Monashee provides firefighting, construction, film and movies work, and passenger transport services. MOUNTAIN VIEW HELICOPTERS Calgary, AB, mvheli.com > Based at Springbank Airport since 1995, and with a newer location at Drumheller, Mountain View provides a full time Commercial Helicopter Pilot training program, including a hangar that houses a stateof-the-art FLYIT simulator, in addition to its onsite AMO. MUSTANG HELICOPTERS Blackfalds, AB, mustanghelicopters.com > With a multi-type fleet of around 30 helicopters, including lights, intermediates, mediums, heavy lift and twin-engine Cat A & Class 1 capabilities, Mustang provides a range of forestry services like transporting crew, water bucketing, belly tank, running an aerial ignition device or moving cargo. PANORAMA HELICOPTERS Alma, QC, helicopterespanorama.com > Founded in 2000, Panorama provides a range of aerial firefighting services like detection, logistics (transportation of personnel and equipment), bucket watering (Bambi), IR imaging and related services like medevac. PHOENIX HELI-FLIGHT Fort McMurray, AB, phoenixheliflight.com > Phoenix provides a range of light and intermediate helicopter firefighting services like initial attack, sustained action and heli-torching on fires of all sizes, as well as experience in using aerial ignition techniques. PRAIRIE HELICOPTERS Gimli, MB, prairiehelicopters.com > In addition to its flight training, Prairie Helicopters offers a full range of helicopter charter services including fire suppression. The company operates Bell helicopters and was founded in 2000. RANGE HELICOPTERS Drayton Valley, AB, rangeheli.ca > Range Helicopters provides fire suppression services including crew/camp moves, infrared scanning, water bucketing, GPS mapping and drip torching. RIDGE ROTORS Blue Ridge, AB, ridgerotors.com > Ridge Rotors provides services primarily in Northern British Columbia in addition to Alberta for the forestry sector through timber cruising, VRI surveys, mountain pine beetle surveying and extermination projects, as well as fire suppression, emergency evacuation and SAR.
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SARVAIR AVIATION 100 Mile House, BC, sarvair.com > Operating out of Williams Lake, BC, and 100 Mile House, Sarvair specializes in longline and vertical lift missions like heli-logging, drill moves, tower and cone construction, and fire protection, as well as general charter, medivac, heli-hiking or fishing. SELKIRK MOUNTAIN HELICOPTERS Revelstoke, BC, smheli.com > Founded in 1991, Selkirk provides aviation services to heli-skiing operations as well as SAR support, while also aiding in avalanche snow safety and firefighting across the region, including drip torch and Class D certification. SEQUOIA HELICOPTERS Abbotsford, BC, sequoiahelicopters.com > Founded in 2004, Sequoia Helicopters is active with provincial forestry agencies across Canada aiding in fire suppression, utilizing Bambi Buckets with foam kits and extensive longline experience. SIERRA HELICOPTERS Pitt Meadows, BC, sierrahelicopters.com > Sierra provides a range of services throughout Vancouver’s lower mainland and beyond, including fire suppression and other forestry missions like LiDAR imaging, logging, tree planting and wildlife surveying. SILVER KING HELICOPTERS Smithers, BC, silverkingheli.com > Silver King provides a range of services for the forestry and mining sectors, including fire suppression by working with initial attack crews and water bucketing. The company also specializes in providing emergency services. SKY HELICOPTERS Pitt Meadows, BC, skyhelicopters.ca > Founded in 2011 and now holding six helicopters in its fleet, SKY has relationships with provincial governments to assist in wildfire management and forestry work. This includes holding year-round wildfire suppression pilots. The company also provides thermal imaging to detect hot spots. SKYLINE HELICOPTERS Kelowna, BC, skylinehelicopters.ca > Founded in 1996, Skyline operates from its main base in Kelowna and a satellite base in Terrace, BC, specializing in longline mountain operations with a strong focus on oil and gas, forestry and heli-skiing. The company has long been involved in firefighting operations for multiple agencies across Canada. SLAVE LAKE HELICOPTERS Slave Lake, AB, slheli.com
> Founded in 1998, Slave Lake specializes in providing services for the forestry sector, including fire suppression and related services like LiDAR and infrared scanning, as well as crew transport. The company is also equipped for SAR, medevac and Class D external cargo. STAR HELICOPTERS Cold Lake, AB, starhelicopters.com > Star has been involved with the forestry industry since 1982, carrying out operations from firefighting to wildlife surveys, including infrared scanning of hot spots with Flir cameras, longline and drip torch services. SUMMIT HELICOPTERS Kamloops, BC, summithelicopters.ca > Summit delivers remote helicopter aviation solutions in Western and Northern Canada with bases in BC, Alberta and Northwest Territories. The company holds a fleet of intermediate Bell 407s and AS 350 aircraft, as well as an intermediate Bell 412, to support wildfire suppression and forestry research. SUNWEST HELICOPTERS Qualicum Beach, BC, sunwesthelicopters.com > Founded more than 27 years ago, SunWest Helicopters, based on Vancouver Island, provides a range of services with its fleet of light, intermediate and medium Bell helicopters. In addition to its longstanding work in fire suppression and crew transport, the company holds experience in longlining, medivac, search and rescue, exploration, seismic, and tower construction applications. TAIGA AIR SERVICES Winnipeg, MB, taigaheli.com > Taiga specializes in providing strategic thermal scanning for fire suppression, as well as environmental and biometric analysis, powerline and pipeline integrity, infrastructure management and maintenance. This includes detection and mapping of hot spots, hotlines, and risk areas to effectively deploy resources. TRANSWEST HELICOPTERS Oliver, BC, transwesthelicopters.com > Transwest re-entered operations last summer with a Bell412EP based at Oliver Municipal Airport. The operation worked on the Penticton fire in August 2020 and is fully equipped to work across Canada for the 2021 season. In addition to specializing in utility missions, Transwest provides MRO, part sales and support, with an emphasis on Bell medium and legacy helicopters.. VALHALLA HELICOPTERS Kelowna, BC, valhallahelicopters.com > Valhalla has more than 20 years of experience supporting ground forces in fire suppres-
Real-time Decisions SKYTRAC Satcom Terminals to Transform Aerial Firefighting When dealing with fast-moving, life-threatening wildfires, realtime information and decision-making is key. Until recently, receiving important information in real-time was either extremely cost-prohibitive or wholly unavailable. As aircrews flew over blazes and captured images, firefighters on the ground would have to wait for the data to be processed before they could act on the information. Today, with the launch of Iridium Certus and the development of the SKYTRAC SDL-350 and IMS-350 satellite communication terminals, aircrews can send live video transmission, EO/IR imaging data, and much more, directly to the ground in real-time. Though broadband satellite communication networks have existed prior to Iridium Certus, none have been capable of truly global operations. Now, aerial firefighting operators can move their assets seasonally, for example, between Australia and California, as needed. The Iridium Certus satellite network, which operators on a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation, offers a much lower size, weight, power (SWaP), and cost point than legacy solutions. The technology isn’t limited to a particular type of aircraft, either. SKYTRAC’s new line of Iridium Certus satellite communications terminals are suitable for fixed-wing, rotorcraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles, ensuring seamless fleet commonality and process efficiencies. “Increasingly, electro-optical, infrared, and other camera systems are being utilized to create fire-perimeters, fuels analysis, and more. With Iridium Certus and SKYTRAC’s new line of Satcom terminals, the data is processed and sent in real-time with a latency of ~0.5 seconds and 99.9% uptime reliability,”
For more information on SKYTRAC’s broadband satellite communications terminals, please visit go.skytrac.ca/certus or contact sales@skytrac.ca.
mentions Jan van der Heul, Vice President of Sales, SKYTRAC. “This is truly the future of aerial firefighting.” Enabling aircraft to capture video and livestream it back to firefighters on the ground is in itself a major shift for aerial firefighting operations. Going beyond, these onboard Satcom terminals are also capable of sensor fusion and artificial intelligence capabilities, which enable incident commanders to consider multiple factors to make informed judgements. In addition, as UAVs become more prominent in aerial firefighting, Iridium Certus can also enable BVLOS and C4ISR applications for these unmanned systems using the SKYTRAC IMS-350. “Traditionally, a fire-behavior analyst would synthesize weather information, topographical mappings, and historical data to compute likely scenarios,” concludes Van der Heul. “Now, it can all be accomplished in seconds through onboard mission-critical servers.” Although this data isn’t a replacement for experienced decision makers, the additional insights are invaluable in lifethreatening scenarios. Combatting a wildfire by air requires aggressive, reliable, and rugged technology. Operators have traditionally relied on Satcom connectivity for surveying, aircraft tracking, voice communications, operational loads monitoring, fire attack, tank drop data, telemetry, and more. With SKYTRAC’s new SDL-350 and IMS-350 terminals, capable high-resolution multi-spectral imaging and video transmission at 352 kbps of bandwidth from and 704 kbps of bandwidth to the aircraft, aerial firefighting organizations can add new, innovative tools to their combat arsenal.
sion. The company leverages SEI water buckets that are Aqualaunch/Powerfill foam equipped. Valhalla explains its retardant delivery system can be used for a variety of fire applications. VALLEY B AVIATION Manning, AB, valleybaviation.com > With Robinson and Airbus helicopters, Valley B Aviation provides a range of services for the forestry sector, including thermal spotting, hot spot detection, wildfire suppression, aerial photography, forest management, wildlife survey and pipeline patrol. VALLEY HELICOPTERS Hope, BC, valleyhelicopters.ca Founded in 1985 and leveraging a Bell fleet, Valley Helicopters has provided firefighting services for more than 30 years. Its pilots are trained in fire suppression with water bucketing, aerial ignition and crew transport. VIH HELICOPTERS North Saanich, BC, vih.com > Founded in 195l, VIH provides a range of services for the forestry sector, including fire suppression and heavy lift for pipeline and logging based on a diverse fleet of Sikorsky, Kamov, Eurocopter and Bell helicopters. WEST COAST HELICOPTERS Port McNeill, BC, westcoasthelicopters.com > West Coast is a light and intermediate service provider with bases in Nanaimo, Campbell River, Port McNeill and Bella Coola, as well as a fleet of around 18 helicopters. It provides forestry services like fire suppression, tree planting and faller support. WILDCAT HELICOPTERS Kelowna, BC, wildcathelicopters.com > Wildcat holds a fleet of Bell 412 and 212 mission-modified aircraft for a range of emergency services like fire suppression, including a Bell 412EP configured for extended search, rescue, and medical missions. WILDERNESS HELICOPTERS Wawa, ON, wildernesshelicopters.com > Wilderness Helicopters is a full-service operator with more than 25 years of experience flying in Northern Ontario, which includes fire suppression, wildlife and values survey, longline slinging and powerline work. WISK-AIR HELICOPTERS Thunder Bay, ON, wiskair.com > Wisk-Air provides a range of helicopter services from firefighting and powerline support to mining and medivac. Its helicopters can be equipped with Bambi Buckets, longlines, cargo baskets, sling gear, and specialized equipment.
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YELLOWHEAD HELICOPTERS Prince George, BC, yhl.ca > Operating out of more than 10 locations in BC and Alberta combined, Yellowhead provides a range of forestry services like fire suppression, cone harvesting, aerial seeding and fertilizing, tree planting, drip torching, infrared scanning, GPS mapping, telemetry, crew and camp moves, and heli-logging supply.
> Forest Fire Management Branch. 506-4533335
ZIMMER AIR SERVICES Blenheim, ON, zimmerair.com > Founded in 1975, Zimmer Air has focused on the forestry sector since its inception providing a number of services to the sector in Ontario and out of the province. The company provides drip torch and slash pile burning services.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES Fort Smith, NT, duty_officer@gov.nt.ca > Forest Management Division Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources Government of NWTP. 867-872-7710.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR Corner Brook, NL, forestfire@gov.nl.ca > Fire Management and Coordination Section, Forestry Services Branch, Department of Fisheries and Land Resources. 709-6372328.
AGENCIES & ASSOCIATIONS
NOVA SCOTIA Shubenacadie, NB, wildfire.centre@novascotia.ca > Fleet and Forest Protection Department of Lands and Forestry. 902-758-7230.
ALBERTA Edmonton, AB, awcc@gov.ab.ca > Agriculture and Forestry Wildfire Management Branch. 780-415-6460.
PARKS CANADA Gatineau, QC, pc.feu-fire.pc@canada.ca > Natural Resource Management Branch, National Fire Management Division.
BRITISH COLUMBIA Kamloops, BC, prov.fire@gov.bc.ca > Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre, BC Wildfire Service, Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources Operations & Rural Development. 250.376-6777.
RCMP AIR SERVICES BRANCH Ottawa, ON, rcmp-grc.gc.ca > 613-993-7267
CANADIAN INTERAGENCY FOREST FIRE CENTRE Ottawa, ON, ciffc.ca > The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) is a not-for-profit corporation operated by federal, provincial and territorial wildland fire management agencies to coordinate resource sharing, mutual aid and information sharing. CIFFC serves as a facilitator of wildland fire coordination nationally and internationally in long-range fire management. HELICOPTER ASSOCIATION OF CANADA Nepean, ON, h-a-c.ca > The Helicopter Association of Canada is the sector’s primary voice for operators and suppliers, working closely with Transport Canada, TSB, and other key government agencies. HAC provides a range of resources for its membership. 613-231-1110 MANITOBA WILDFIRE SERVICE Winnipeg, MB, hqfire@gov.mb.ca > Department of Conservation and Climate. 204-945-5252 NEW BRUNSWICK Fredericton, NB, provincial.firecentre@gnb.ca
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICE Washington, DC, fs.usda.gov > 800-832-1355 PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND Charlottetown, PE > Department of Environment, Water and Climate Change Forests, Fish & Wildlife Division. 902-218-9076. ONTARIO Sault Ste. Marie, ON, meoc-mail.mnr@ontario.ca > Ministry of Natural Resources sand Forestry, the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services. 705-945-5751 QUEBEC, SOPFEU Quebec City, QC, .cpl@sopfeu.qc.ca > Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU). 418-871-3341. SASKATCHEWAN Prince Albert, SK, FFMBDispatch@gov.sk.ca > Saskatchewan Wildfire, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. 306-953-3430 YUKON TERRITORY Whitehorse, YT, YDO@gov.yk.ca > Wildland Fire Management Branch Protective Services Division. 867-667-3128 | W
Valhalla Helicopters has earned an exemplary reputation for the quality of its wildfire suppression support services. Our team of pilots and engineers are highly skilled and have over 30 years experience fighting wildfires in Canada and Australia. All Valhalla pilots are proficient in precision long line operations, tank fire bombing, water bucketing, aerial ignition/drip torch, aerial thermography/mapping, hover exit and crew transport. Valhalla Helicopters operates Bell 212HP, Bell 205A1++ and Bell 206B3’s. The Bell 212HP and Bell 205A1++ are equipped with a Simplex Fire Attack Tank or SEI Industries Bambi Max Bucket with variable activation valve, powerfill and foam capability. Aerial wildfire suppression has become an indispensable tool for protecting lives, infrastructure and natural resources. Valhalla Helicopters has played a major role in many high-profile wildfires and supporting agencies across Canada and Australia. Valhalla Helicopters believes that providing a highly mobile and rapid response to any emerging situation is a key factor to success. 1100 Stevens Road West Kelowna, B.C. V1Z 1G1
Ph: (250) 769-1486
valhallahelicopters.com
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AERIALFIREFIGHTING.CA ATTENDANCE IS FREE WITH REGISTRATION The Aerial Firefighting Virtual Conference is designed to provide rotary- and fixed-wing operators, as well as their clients and fire agencies, with critical business information about the sector.
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GOVERNMENT TURNS A BLIND EYE TO REGIONAL AVIATION CHALLENGES The air industry has accepted that the pandemic has created severe restrictions but the senseless lack of response by the Government in supporting this segment of aviation will have long lasting effects on regional air service and consequently to the overall economy of Canada’s outlying regions. The absence of financial aid from the Government has had serious consequences. Regional air carriers have had to take drastic measures to ensure their survival since March 2020. Survival mode has meant that some carriers have halted operations altogether, as they calculated that this was the best way to weather the storm. Most, however, chose to cut back staff and services and limit operations to their core competencies and continue to offer services so desperately needed by the communities they serve. Commercial aviation in this country will be extremely weakened and fragile when it finally emerges from this devastating crisis. Aviation is an important enabler, even a driver, of the Canadian economy, but nowhere does aviation play such a critical socioeconomic role than in Canada’s outlying regions. Canadian airports have been just as devastated as air carriers during the last 15 months. We look forward to seeing if the recently announced financial aid program offered by the Government for airports lives up to expectations. The privatization of airports in the 1990s has resulted in extraordinary infrastructure development driven by the new airport authorities. Today, Canada’s national airports now run by the private sector are considered world class, which is a far cry from their sad state at the time of their divestment by Transport Canada. Since privatization, airports have made massive investments in their infrastructure and have driven up their debt significantly. These investment decisions were supported by the sustained annual increases in the number of passengers. While airports were generally yielding strong surpluses, short term debt obligations are significant. The most important revenue streams for airports are generated by aeronautical fees, passenger fees, ancillary services and parking. Airports report that passenger levels, and consequently revenues generated, are down by over 90% in 2021 compared to 2019. Consequently, short-term debt obligations are forcing airports to look for revenues wherever they can find them, so carriers and passengers should expect continued pressure for increased user fees. NAV CANADA has suffered the same fate. A not-for-profit corporation with a large, complex and highly technical infrastructure requiring constant investment and costly specialized labour has quickly used up its cash reserves. Even though NAV CANADA provides a mandatory infrastructure and services, it has
inexplicably been denied financial assistance by the Government and has consequently been given little choice but to raise air navigation fees by almost 30%. Consequently, the challenges that our industry faces during the post-pandemic recovery are heightened by these very significant cost increases. In addition, demand for air travel could drop as it reacts negatively to price increases, particularly for leisure travelers, with the business traveler traditionally being more influenced by flight frequency and routing than fares. The Canadian Government is adding to the factors compromising our industry’s post-pandemic recovery by depriving the air transport industry sector of specific financial assistance other than high interest government sponsored loans to air carriers. One of the many challenges facing carriers is the return of the business travel segment, a very important market as it accounts for the majority and most profitable of seat sales for most carriers. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to estimate at this point the impact of video conferencing on business travel, but one can assume that the demand for travel for intra-company in-person meetings will inevitably recede as technology improves and people grow accustomed to working with video conferencing tools. Moreover, it will most likely be more difficult to obtain private and public sector travel authorizations until our economy is fully ramped up, if ever. One can only conclude that, given the absence of any substantial financial aid to smaller carriers, regional air transport, although key to so many regions of Canada, remains low in the Government’s priorities. Governments, particularly in minority situations, seem more interested in ostentatious gestures aiming for greater appeal to the electorate than avoiding long term consequences of the pandemic on regional air transport. The medium and long-term consequences, however, are that Canada’s regions will suffer from a reduction in service as it will be extremely difficult for regional carriers to return to preCOVID-19 levels of service. Carriers will be unable to adequately rebound from the austerity measures resulting from the pandemic because of cash flow problems resulting from increased airport and navigation fees, lower passenger revenues, and for those who adhered to the meager government financial aid program for regional transport, a larger debt load to support. It is painfully obvious to the regional airline sector that, unlike our key trading partners and most other G20 countries, the Government has decided to stand on the sidelines and wait until after the next election before even considering the consequences of the pandemic on regional air transport and the communities they serve. This is a totally unacceptable outcome for this vital industry which connects all points in Canada and truly enables our economic recovery and sustainability.
Air Transport Association of Canada 1110 - 222 Queen Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 5V9 • Phone: 613-233-7727 • Website: atac.ca
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July/August 2021 | WINGS 53
MARKETPLACE
PILOTS IN COMMAND: YOUR BEST TRIP, EVERY TRIP, 2ND EDITION
ON
FINAL by Peter Thomas | guest columnist
Supersonic flights are set to return How supersonic flights can succeed where the Concorde failed
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54 WINGS | July/August 2021
getting them certified to Boom’s tight production deadlines. Boom is also promoting its aircraft’s green credentials. Part of the United deal involves collaborative development in establishing a reliable supply of sustainable aviation fuel. This will ultimately benefit other aircraft in United’s fleet and the industry at large, which currently produces around 2.8 per cent of all global CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Sustainable aviation fuels include biofuels and synthetic kerosine that are compatible with conventional jet fuel, which means no changes to airport fuelling infrastructure or engine design will be needed for them to be introduced. But these fuels are very expensive, because the raw materials needed to make them aren’t available at scale. The total amount of sustainable aviation fuel currently being used amounts to just 0.1 per cent of the total fuel spent in the air. Projections estimate this needs to reach somewhere between 1.4 and 3.7 per cent. Boom will be optimistic that it can overcome fuel efficiency challenges by the time its aircraft begins carrying fare-paying passengers in 2029. Those fares look set to be high, with Boom anticipating a £3,500 price tag per seat. In 1996, British Airways charged around £5,350 – £8,800 in today’s prices – for round-trip tickets from New York to London. | W
A good compromise might be a low bypass turbofan with an afterburner to significantly increase available thrust. another supersonic passenger jet, the Russian Tupelov Tu-144, but was too inefficient because it needed to keep firing its afterburners to maintain supersonic cruise. The Tu-144’s afterburner also contributed to a very noisy cabin, humming loudly at 90 decibels – roughly the sound generated by a hairdryer – which exceeds regulatory safety limits. The Concorde’s turbojets, meanwhile, only needed afterburners at take-off and to break through the sound barrier, improving its fuel economy and lowering cabin noise while supercruising. Due to the noise they generate, supersonic jets aren’t allowed to fly over land. But these restrictions could be lifted with refined aerodynamic design. For example, research by NASA on its X-59 QueSST program aims to produce optimized airframe shapes which could significantly reduce overland sonic booms to a much quieter “thud” – coming in at 75 decibels rather than the Concorde’s 105 decibel boom. Getting the aerodynamics right could also open up the possibility of using modern, lightweight composite materials to enable better thrust-to-weight ratios – perhaps eliminating the need for afterburners at take-off. Substantial developments in computational fluid dynamics software and other simulation programs since the 1970s will be crucial in evaluating these designs and
Peter Thomas is a senior lecturer in aerospace engineering at the University of Hertfordshire. WWW.WINGSMAGAZINE.COM
PHOTO: BOOM SUPERSONIC
nited Airlines has announced it will purchase up to 50 Boom Overture supersonic jets for commercial use by 2029, heralding the return of supersonic passenger flights nearly 20 years after the Concorde was decommissioned. Supersonic planes halve the time it takes to fly from New York to London, from seven hours down to 3.5 hours, but such airliners were abandoned following Concorde’s final flight in 2003. Concorde had become financially unworkable after a high-profile crash in 2000, combined with excessive ticket prices, high fuel consumption and increasingly high maintenance costs. If Boom is to succeed, it will depend on overcoming these issues that derailed Concorde. So can it be done? Supersonic flights are so called because they travel faster than the speed of sound. To do this, the aircraft must break through the sound barrier, which requires an efficient aerodynamic design to reduce drag, and considerable thrust from powerful engines to overcome the turbulence caused by shock waves. Breaking the sound barrier also requires engines that burn through lots of jet fuel – one of Concorde’s key drawbacks and something that’s become more contentious in recent years. You’d therefore expect Boom, which is in the prototype stage of developing Overture, to concentrate its designs on increasing fuel efficiency. The Colorado company is likely to choose between a turbojet and turbofan engine. A turbojet produces all of its thrust from its exhaust gas when it is moving at faster speeds. A turbofan engine derives most of its thrust from the amount of the air it accelerates with its fan blades. The amount of this air defines the engine’s bypass ratio. Higher bypass ratio turbofan engines are more fuel efficient than turbojets. Their lower exhaust speed makes them quieter, but they tend to be larger, resulting in higher drag at supersonic speeds. This drag penalty has outweighed the efficiency of turbofans for prolonged supersonic flights. A good compromise might be a low bypass turbofan with an afterburner, which injects additional fuel to significantly increase available thrust, and is commonly used on military jets. Such an engine was used in early production versions of
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