Canadian Helicopters Limited, formerly a part of the Canadian operations of

CHC Helicopter CHC Helicopter is a Texas-based helicopter services company. CHC Helicopter maintains it global headquarters in Irving, Texas and operates more than 250 aircraft in 30 countries around the world. CHC's major international operating units are b ...

Corporation, operates 112 aircraft from 26 bases across Canada and provides a broad range of helicopter services to support the following activities: emergency medical evacuation; infrastructure maintenance; utilities; oil and gas; forestry; mining; construction; and air transportation. Canadian Helicopters Limited also operates an advanced flight school; provides third party repair and maintenance services; and provides helicopter services in the United States in support of specialty operations including forest fire suppression activities and geophysical exploration programs.

History

Commercial helicopter flying began in British Columbia in the summer of 1947. Three former

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

officers, pilots Carl Agar and Barney Bent, and engineer Alf Stringer, were operating a fixed-wing charter company, Okanagan Air Services Ltd., out of

Penticton Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration The ce ...

. In July 1947 they raised enough money to purchase a

Bell 47 The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first he ...

-B3 and pay for their flying and maintenance training. Okanagan Air Services moved to Vancouver in 1949, was renamed Okanagan Helicopters Ltd. and, by 1954, had become the largest commercial helicopter operator in the world. Toronto Helicopters was founded by Len Routledge and Douglas Dunlop. It was a pioneer in

air ambulance Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...

services in Ontario and operated helicopters for the Ontario Ministry of Health. Sealand Helicopters was founded by Newfoundland businessman

Craig Dobbin Craig Lawrence Dobbin, (12 September 1935 – 7 October 2006) was an industrialist and chairman and chief executive officer of CHC Helicopter Corporation, a public company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. ...

in February 1977. In 1987, Dobbin headed a group that purchased Okanagan Helicopters and Toronto Helicopters and merged them with his own company, Sealand Helicopters to form Canadian Helicopters. Until November 2000, Canadian Helicopters was the domestic operating arm of Canadian Helicopters International, a wholly owned subsidiary of CHC Helicopter Corporation. In 2000, Canadian Helicopters was divested by way of a management buy-out. The company continued operations as Canadian Helicopters until it was renamed HNZ Group Inc. after acquiring that company. In December 2017, the company was taken private as Canadian Helicopters Limited. As of September 2019, Canadian Helicopters Limited has two

air operator's certificate An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in pla ...

s. The first, 18373, is Canadian Helicopters Limited - Hélicoptères Canadiens Limitée trading as Canadian Helicopters Offshore in

Enfield, Nova Scotia Enfield is an urban community located north of Halifax Stanfield International Airport in the Shubenacadie Valley on the border of Hants and Halifax counties in Nova Scotia, Canada. Specifically, Enfield exists in both the East Hants Munic ...

with two helicopters in Goffs (

Halifax Stanfield International Airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime pro ...

).Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Aircraft Details C-GNZH
/ref>Canadian Civil Aircraft Register: Aircraft Details C-GICB
/ref> The second, 11988, is used for the rest of the fleet in Les Cèdres, Quebec.

Bases

The following are bases in Canada: * Alberta - Western Head Office

Edmonton International Airport Edmonton International Airport, as of August 29, 2022, officially branded YEG Edmonton International Airport is the primary air passenger and air cargo facility in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region of the Canadian province of Alberta. Designat ...

Fort McMurray International Airport Fort McMurray International Airport is located southeast of Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. YMM is the largest airport in northern Alberta. It has flights to Edmonton, Calgary, and Fort Chipewyan through airlines Air Canada, WestJet, McMurra ...

Grande Prairie Airport Grande Prairie Airport is a commercial airport located west northwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. It is the largest airport in the Peace River Country of northwestern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia, having served 446,000 pass ...

* British Columbia -

Fort Nelson Airport Northern Rockies Regional Airport (Fort Nelson Airport) is located east northeast of Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. Airlines and destinations History In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as R ...

Fort St. John Airport Fort St. John Airport , North Peace Regional Airport, or North Peace Airport, is located at Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada. The airport is operated by North Peace Airport Services Ltd (a subsidiary of Vantage Airport Group). A new reco ...

Penticton Regional Airport Penticton Regional Airport , also known as Penticton Airport, is a regional airport located southwest of Penticton, British Columbia, a city in the Okanagan region of Canada. It is owned and operated by Transport Canada, serving the South Okanag ...

(flight school),

Smithers Airport Smithers Airport is north of Smithers, British Columbia, Canada. History A Yukon Airways and Exploration landing at Sproule's Ranch in 1928 was the first airplane arrival in the vicinity. This field was used for several years. In 1929, the Boar ...

Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat Northwest Regional Airport Terrace-Kitimat is located south of Terrace, British Columbia, Canada. The airport also serves Kitimat Kitimat is a district municipality in the North Coast region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member munici ...

* Manitoba -

Portage la Prairie/Southport Airport Portage la Prairie/Southport Airport is located adjacent to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Canada. It is operated by Southport Aerospace Centre Inc., a commercial-industrial centre. It was formerly Canadian Forces Base Portage la Prairie. It has b ...

(DND Training & Maintenance Support, Allied Wings) * New Brunswick -

Fredericton International Airport Fredericton International Airport is an airport in Lincoln, New Brunswick, Canada, southeast of Fredericton. The airport is classified as an international airport by Transport Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA ...

* Newfoundland and Labrador -

Bishop's Falls Bishop's Falls is a town in the north-central part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, with a population of 3,082 at the 2021 census. Geography It is in Division No. 6, on the Exploits River, nea ...

, Goose Bay Airport,

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

* Northwest Territories -

Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport is located east of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). CBSA officers at this airport ca ...

Norman Wells Airport Norman Wells Airport is located adjacent to Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, Canada. North-Wright Airways has its hangar and office adjacent to the airport. Airlines and destinations Cargo Accidents and incidents On 5 January 1972, Dou ...

Yellowknife Airport Yellowknife Airport is located in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. The airport is part of the National Airports System, and is operated by the Government of the Northwest Territories. The airport has regular scheduled passenger servi ...

* Nova Scotia -

(Halifax EMS and offshore) * Nunavut -

Cambridge Bay Airport Cambridge Bay Airport is located southwest of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut. In December 2005 the Government of Nunavut announced that they would spend $18 million to pave the runway. On 14 ...

Hall Beach Airport Hall Beach Airport is located at Sanirajak, formerly Hall Beach, Nunavut, Canada, and is operated by the government of Nunavut. Airlines and destinations Canadian Helicopters Canadian Helicopters Limited, formerly a part of the Canadian op ...

Iqaluit Airport Iqaluit Airport ( iu, ᐃᖃᓗᖕᓂ ᒥᑦᑕᕐᕕᒃ) serves Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada and is located adjacent to the city. It is operated by the government of Nunavut. It hosts scheduled passenger service from Ottawa, Montreal, Rankin In ...

* Quebec - Corporate Head Office:

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, ( Les Cèdres),

Chevery Airport Chevery Airport is located on the north-eastern shore of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' ...

La Grande Rivière Airport La Grande Rivière Airport is an airfield location about south southwest of Radisson, Quebec, Canada. It is used mostly to shuttle Hydro-Québec personnel between Radisson and the larger cities in Quebec, but it is also served by regular sc ...

( Radisson, Whapchiwem),

Sept-Îles Airport Sept-Îles Airport is situated east of the town of Sept-Îles, Quebec, Canada. The airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on a call-out basis from the Quebec Cit ...

* Yukon -

Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport is an airport of entry located in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. It is part of the National Airports System, and is owned and operated by the Government of Yukon. The airport was renamed in honour of lon ...

Heliports

Canadian Helicopters Limited operates the following heliports: * Chibougamau Heliport,

Chibougamau Chibougamau () is the largest town in Nord-du-Québec, central Quebec, Canada. Located on Lake Gilman it has a population of 7,504 people (2016 Canadian Census). Chibougamau is surrounded by, but not part of, the local municipality of Eeyou Istc ...

, Quebec * Montréal/Les Cèdres Heliport,

, Quebec * Sagard Heliport,

Sagard Sagard is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. History Sagard is first mentioned in 1250 as ''Zagard''. The name of the municipality of Sagard comes from the Slavic and means something like '' ...

, Quebec * Smithers (Canadian) Heliport,

Smithers Smithers is a surname of English origin. It derives from the Middle English term "smyther", referring to a metalsmith, and is thus related to the common occupational surname Smith. The name Smither is related. People *Alan Smithers (born 1938 ...

, British Columbia

Fleet

As of September 2019, Canadian Helicopters Limited has the following aircraft registered with

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportati ...

C-FOKV Canadian Helicopters Bell 212 (B212) 02

The aircraft are listed by Transport Canada as being registered to Canadian Helicopters Limited - Hélicoptères Canadiens Limitée registered in Quebec. The Transport Canada list also shows an Aerospatiale AS350D, an Aerospatiale AS 355F1, a Bell 212, a Bell 206B, a

Robinson R22 The Robinson R22 is a two-seat, two-bladed, single-engine light utility helicopter manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company. It was designed in 1973 by Frank D. Robinson, and has been in production since 1979. Development The majority of fli ...

BETA, and two Sikorsky S-76ACivil Aircraft Register: Aircraft Details C-GIMR
/ref> all with cancelled certificates.

References

External links

Official site
{{Airlines of Canada Regional airlines of Quebec Helicopter airlines Airlines established in 1987 Companies based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador